LIBRARY OF CONGRESS. 



$ /& 

! UNITED STATES OF AMERICA.! 




\ 



THE 



MISSION CEMETERY 



WITH AN INTRODUCTORY NOTICE OF 

FUH CHAU AND ITS MISSIONS 






EDITED BY 



Rev. I. W. WILEY, M.D., 

LATB MISSIONARY PHYSICIAN AT FUH CHAU. 



And a book of remembrance was written before him And tbey shall be 

mine, saith the Lord of hosts, in that day when I make up my jewels. 

Malachi iii, IT. 



M*uo-$ork : 

CARLTON & PORTER, 200 MULBERRY- STREET. 
CHARLES SCRIBNER, 124 GRAND-STREET. 

BOSTON: THILLTPS, SAMPSON. & CO S ff ** / 



3VWnt 



Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1858, by 
I. W. WILEY, 

in the Clerk's Office of the District Court of the Southern District of 
New- York. 



The Library 
of Congress 

WASHINGTON 



PREFACE 



The following collection of missionary me- 
morials, now presented to the Christian public, 
has been prepared at the suggestion of many 
friends, not only of those who personally knew 
and loved the precious men and women whose 
lives are here portrayed, but also of those who 
love the cause in which they fell, and who be- 
lieve that the interests of vital godliness and of 
the cause of missions would be promoted by its 
publication. 

The lives of good men are the property of the 
Church ; and the record of their virtues, their 
graces, their toils, and their self-denials, with 
the example of their triumph in the hour of 
death, constitutes the richest legacy they can 
leave to the Christian public. As Christianity, 
by its saving and refining power, has developed 



6 PREFACE. 

the noblest specimens of human character, and 
has given to the world its treasures of inspiring 
biography, so the great modern missionary 
movement, by its appeal to the pious heart and 
its power of inspiration, has developed many of 
the noblest examples of Christian devotion, and 
offers to the world many beautiful examples of 
the highest forms of Christian character and of 
Christian heroism. The lives of these sons and 
daughters of the missionary enterprise belong 
of right to the work of missions ; and whatever 
of instruction, inspiration, and encouragement 
can be gathered from their example, may and 
ought to be used to advance the interests of 
this great work. 

Here we have grouped together brief me- 
morials of eight noble missionaries, "who 
counted not their lives dear unto them," if they 
might share a part in the great work of evan- 
gelizing China. Providence guided them from 
widely separated parts of our own country to 
meet in one common field, the city of Fuh 
Chau. They were all pioneers in this new 
field. They all knew and loved each other. 
They were connected with different Christian 
denominations, and under the direction, of differ- 



PREFACE. 7 

ent missionary boards; yet they all breathed 
the same Christian spirit, and forgot in their 
common work all differences, and harmonized 
in the same devotion, the same entire self-re- 
nunciation, the same confident hope and trust 
in Christ. To them there was but one Calvary, 
one redemption, one work. Their lives were 
short, yet long enough to exhibit bright exam- 
ples of the power of Divine grace, and to prove 
to us the depth, and strength, and maturity of 
their Christian character and experience. They 
finished their course with joy, none regretting 
their consecration to the work of missions, and 
each leaving some inspiring sentiment to en- 
courage the Church, and to urge others to enter 
into their labors. 

It was not their privilege to rest together in 
the quiet sleep of death. Four of them lie in 
the Mission Cemetery ; three sleep in their na- 
tive land, whither they had returned in broken 
health ; one is buried in the great ocean ceme- 
tery, which keeps so many precious ones till the 
sea shall be required u to give up the dead that 
are in it." Doubtless they have all joined again 
in a blessed company in the Father's house 
above, and it has been to us a labor of love to 



8 PREFACE. 

group their precious names together again in 
one common book. 

Their memories they have left to us. Their 
names are dear to large circles who knew and 
loved them, and we believe the Christian pub- 
lic, and every lover of the great missionary 
work, will welcome this record of their toils 
and triumphs. To these personal friends, to 
that Christian public, and to all who love the 
cause of missions, we dedicate this work, and 
the object of its publication will be fully at- 
tained if its perusal shall lead to more expanded 
views of Christian duty, and shall awaken a 
deeper interest in the mission field to which 
these men and women gave their lives. 

The Editor. 



CONTENTS 



Pass 

INTRODUCTORY NOTICE OF FUH CHAU The Editor 15 

MRS. JANE ISABEL WHITE The Editor 55 

REV. WILLIAM L. RICHARDS Rev. C. C. Baldwin 83 

REV. JUDSON D. COLLINS Rev. W. H. Collins 121 

MRS. FRANCES J. WILEY Mrs. Sophia A. H. Doolittle 167 

MRS. ANNA M. WENT WORTH Rev. D. D. Lore 201 

MRS. SOPHIA A. II. DOOLITTLE The Editor. 247 

REV. SENECA CUMMINGS The Editor 295 

MRS. ELLEN C. COLDER The Editor 337 



Illustrations. 



Page 

THE MISSION CEMETERY OF FUH CHAU 2 

VIEW OF FUH CHAU 34 

MES. JANE ISABEL WHITE 54 

REV. J. D. COLLINS 120 

MRS. FRANCES J. WILEY 166 

MRS. ANNA M. WENTWORTH 200 

REV. SENECA CUMMINGS 294 

MRS. ELLEN C. COLDER 336 

FIRST CONVERT OF FUH CHAU 360 



INTRODUCTORY NOTICE OF FUH CHAU. 

By Rev. I. W. WILEY, M. D., 



LATB MISSIONARY PHYSICIAN AT FUH CHAU. 



THE MISSION CEMETEBY. 



fntrakctorji Halite af Jul} C|an* 



Fuh Cha¥ is one of the five cities of China opened 
to foreign residence and commerce by the treaties of 
1842. It is the capital of the province of Fukien, 
lying in latitude twenty-six degrees seven minutes 
north, and longitude one hundred and nineteen degrees 
east, beautifully located near the banks of the river 
Min, about thirty-five miles from the sea. Fukien is 
one of the richest and most enterprising provinces of 
Southern China, possessing a territory of 57,000 square 
miles, and a population of 15,000,000 of the most 
hardy and adventurous natives of the empire. The 
scenery of the country is beautifully diversified 
throughout the whole province, which is swept along 
its eastern boundary by the waters of the Pacific, 
presenting throughout its whole length a bold and 
rocky coast, faced by numerous islands, and indented 
by beautiful coves and bays, affording ample shelter 



16 THE MISSION CEMETEEY. 

to the native shipping. On the west it is to a consider- 
able extent separated from the rest of the empire by 
the towering chains of hills which skirt its western 
border. The bay and harbor of Amoy furnish an 
excellent outlet for its valuable productions at its 
southern extremity ; while the Bohea Hills, the great 
tea district of China, enrich it in the north, and form 
its northern boundary. 

This isolated position has saved the province of 
Fukien from many of the warlike and revolutionary 
convulsions which have so frequently agitated the 
rest of the empire. Even during the war with En- 
gland it was but little disturbed, and the provincial 
city was un visited ; and the great revolution of Tae- 
ping-wang only swept along the western borders, 
leaving the province unmolested, except by awaking 
uneasiness in the people, and brief local insurrections. 
As a result, the natives of Fukien have been permitted 
to pursue in quietness their peaceful avocations of 
agriculture, manufactures, and trade, and in the latter 
branch of industry have surpassed most other parts 
of the empire, in the extent and the distance to which 
they have carried their commerce. Their trading 
crafts are found in nearly all the ports of China, and 
their commerce extends to Japan, Loochoo, Cochin 
China, and most of the islands of the Indian Archi- 
pelago. 

Full Chau, the provincial city, is situated about five 
hundred miles up the coast from Canton, and until 



INTRODUCTORY NOTICE OF FUH CHAU. 17 

recently was only accessible to the foreigner through 
the Portuguese lorchas, small schooner-like crafts, 
owned and manned mostly by the Portuguese of 
Macao, and by which is conducted a lucrative, but 
dangerous and adventurous trade, in conveying or 
guarding native junks along the Chinese coast, to 
preserve them from the attacks of the native pirates, 
with which all parts of the China Sea are infested. 
For several years these little warlike crafts, them- 
selves bearing no small resemblance to piratical brig- 
antines, thoroughly armed from bow to stern, and 
manned by mixed crews of daring Portuguese and 
unscrupulous natives, constituted the only means 
available to the missionary for reaching Fuh Chau, 
and were the only vessels, other than native crafts, 
which navigated the river Min. In the summer of 
1851 we chartered one of these little vessels at Hong 
Kong, and a voyage of eight days along the bold and 
barren coast of China brought us to the outlet of the 
river Min. About three o'clock in the afternoon, 
while a clear sun poured its flood of golden light over 
the beautiful scenery which skirts the embouchure of 
the river, we suddenly tacked about from our course 
and bore into the Min, winding our way through a 
picturesque group of islands, called the " White 
Dogs " and " Five Tigers," which seem like savage 
sentinels guarding the entrance of the river. 

The scenery of the river Min inspires universal 
admiration. Travelers have frequently compared it 



18 THE MISSION CEMETERY. 

to the picturesque scenery of the Rhine ; but Ameri- 
cans find a better comparison in the bold scenery of 
the Hudson, which it equals in grandeur, and sur- 
passes in the beautiful blending of rich lowlands, 
cultivated fields, and tributary streams. The principal 
entrance to the river is narrow, bounded on each side 
by lofty and naked hills; both of which, however, 
have been made to yield in many places to the inge- 
nuity of Chinese cultivation, and exhibit, in numerous 
spots along their steep sides, beautiful verdant terraces, 
producing on their level surfaces a large variety of 
articles of food. This beautiful and striking feature, 
exhibiting the industry and ingenuity of the Chinese 
husbandman, is constantly repeated along the steep 
and naked sides of the high mountain range which 
extends along the northern side of the river, as well 
as on the more gentle slopes of the numerous hills 
which range in varied scenery along the southern 
bank of the stream, and the effect is too beautiful to 
weary the observer by its frequent repetition. 

After passing between the two hills, which almost 
meet together at the mouth of the river, and between 
which the stream pours the great body of its waters 
by a rapid current into the ocean, the river widens 
into what appears to be a beautiful hill-bound lake, 
enlivened along its banks with numerous villages, 
and dotted over its surface with a multitude of small 
boats, constituting the homes of a large number of 
natives, who make their living by fishing, and dis- 



INTRODUCTORY NOTICE OF FUH CIIAU. 19 

posing of their supply to the people of the villages 
along the river. These river boatmen, from numerous 
acts of piracy and plunder, to which they have prob- 
ably been driven by actual want, have gained a 
bad reputation, and have even been esteemed abroad 
as constituting one of the difficulties to be encount- 
ered in conducting a trade through the river. It was 
by the hands of some of these desperadoes that the 
lamented Fast, whose memoir finds a place here, 
came to his death. 

On the right bank of the river is a large village 
named Kwantau, where there is a military establish- 
ment, and a custom-house, which is the general clear- 
ance office for the city of Fuh-Ohau. Continuing to 
ascend the stream, the traveler reaches another narrow 
pass, called the Min-au, with columns of rocks on 
either side, piled up to the height of a thousand feet, 
between which the deep waters rush with great 
velocity. Beyond this, the stream again widens into 
a beautiful, broad, and deep river, skirted on the 
north by a high and broken range of mountains, 
glittering every here and there in the sun's rays with 
the torrents and cascades which rush down its preci- 
pices. On the south it is adorned by alternating 
hills and large level rice, or paddy fields, through 
which, in one place, is seen winding a large creek, 
leading back into the fertile country; and in another, 
opening out from the deep ravine through which it 
flows, a large branch of the river, which here returns 



20 THE MISSION CEMETERY. 

to meet again its parent stem. In the northwestern 
extremity of this view of the river may be seen two 
beautiful, and, in this warm climate, evergreen 
islands, lifting their hemispherical forms from the 
bosom of the river; and about three miles to the south 
of these, at the other extremity of the scene, is dis- 
covered a large triangular island, on the upper 
extremity of which rises the seven-storied pagoda 
which has given its name to this island. This part 
of the river constitutes the proper anchorage for ves- 
sels of large tonnage. 

On the southern bank of the river, nearly opposite 
the two small islands above referred to, is a small 
fortified town, in which are garrisoned about a thou- 
sand soldiers, whose duty is to guard the passage of 
the river; and by several large sized cannon, which 
are observed mounted on rude carriages on the river 
banks, and a few others which are placed on the hill 
on the opposite side of the river, they would, perhaps, 
be able to command this part of the stream, if their 
guns were in good working order, and managed by a 
few American or European artillerymen. But the 
garrison, its soldiers and its fortifications, all in all, 
present anything but a formidable appearance, and 
in its buildings, temples, walls, guns, and munitions, 
exhibits those striking evidences of decay everywhere 
visible in China. 

We visited this fortification, and after entering at 
the south gate, traversed the principal street within 



INTRODUCTORY NOTICE OF FUH CIIAU. 21 

the walls, which opens on a beautiful paved walk 
extending along the river, and shaded by a large 
number of luxuriant banyans. Within the walls we 
were treated with great civility, two or three of 
the principal officers good-humoredly attending us 
throughout our entire walk; while our strange and 
unexpected visit called into the streets perhaps the 
entire population of men and children, who gratified 
their curiosity by silently watching our slow march 
through the place. The women, through modesty, 
or rather, perhaps, through that subdued feeling of 
subjection which has been forced on so large a part 
of the female population of Asia, in but few instances 
ventured into the street, while we could observe large 
numbers of them anxiously watching us through the 
half-open doors and the lattices and open carved 
work of their houses, and could frequently hear their 
exclamations of surprise and pleasure on witnessing 
our children, objects which seemed to awaken the in- 
terest of all classes in this country. The entire pop- 
ulation consists only of soldiers and their families, 
perhaps in all about two thousand, most of whom are 
Manchus. The houses are arranged in parallel lines, 
running from east to west across the area enclosed by 
the brick wall, and are of the small, one-storied form 
which is universal throughout China. The mandarin 
dialect is spoken within the walls; and as no trade of 
any kind is carried on, the houses and streets present 
an air of cleanliness which we have seen nowhere else 



22 THE MISSION CEMETEEY. 

about Fuh Chan. Outside of the wall is a small 
temple, containing several decaying idols, and exhib- 
iting in every respect the unmistakable evidences of a 
worn-out idolatry. 

The tall pagoda of the village of Tong-ha, which 
is visible from the river, invited us to an excursion 
in the beautiful creek which leads to the village, 
about four miles south-east of the river bank. The 
creek winds its course through a small but well-culti- 
vated valley, bounded on one side by a high and 
broken range of mountains, terraced and cultivated 
in many ]3laces to their very summits, and on the 
other side by varying hills and lowlands, the first 
bearing on their terraced sides a rich crop of vegeta- 
bles, and the latter burdened with a large crop of 
rice, then ready for the sickle. The hills are adorn- 
ed with numerous small groves of pine trees, inter- 
spersed with tombs and temples ; and every here and 
there a noble banyan, of that peculiar species which 
is found in China, spreads out its far-reaching boughs, 
inviting the weary laborer in the paddy fields to 
enjoy its cool and refreshing shade. 

Our arrival at Tong-ha summoned its entire popula- 
tion to the banks of the stream. The emperor and 
his court could not have had the honor of a greater 
turn-out in that village than we had, and it is doubt- 
ful if even his majesty could awaken greater curiosity, 
or produce more excitement in his reception, than did 
we. The village is a small place, made up principally 



INTRODUCTORY NOTICE OF FUII CIIATJ. 23 

of the homes of farmers who cultivate the rich terri- 
tory around them, and of fishermen, who pursue their 
vocation on the river and coast. It lies imbedded in 
clusters of banyans, pomegranates, lichi, and orange 
trees, which are gifts and beauties which nature has 
bestowed on this country with a lavish hand, not- 
withstanding the idolatry, degradation, and ingratitude 
of its wretched people. On account of the dense and 
moving mass of excited people who thronged the 
banks of the creek, we were unable to effect a land- 
ing, and allowed our boat to drift with the tide along 
the whole length of the village, each advance of our 
boat bringing a fresh accession of anxious spectators, 
who for the first time probably were }3ermitted to look 
on a company of western barbarians. When our boat 
turned to descend the stream and leave the village, 
the whole crowd began to move with us, pushing and 
crowding among themselves, hooting and hallooing 
in great excitement ; while not a few, determined to 
have a sight of the foreigners, rushed into the water 
and waded alongside until we reached the lower end 
of the village, and thus finished our visit to Tong-ha. 
After ascending above the Pagoda Island, the 
river separates into two large branches, the principal 
of which, taking a northwestern direction, leads to 
Full Chan ; while the other, ascending more to the 
south and west, again joins with the principal branch 
about eight miles above the city, after encircling a 
large and fertile island about twenty miles long, and 



24 THE MISSION CEMETERY. 

which, opposite to Fuh Chan, is six or seven miles 
in width. On the right bank of the principal stream 
is seen the high and picturesque mountain range 
called Ku-shan, one of whose lofty peaks lifts its 
pointed summit about three thousand feet above the 
level of the river, and overhangs, in solemn grandeur, 
a large Budhistic monastery, the approach to which 
is marked on the mountain side by a winding stone 
stairway, three miles in length. To this monastery 
the foreigners of Fuh Chau often resort, to find in its 
spacious apartments and its romantic grounds relief 
from the oppressive heat of the summer. This range 
of mountains recedes from the river, and in irregular 
and broken masses sweeps along the northern bound- 
ary of the large amphitheater in which lies the city 
of Fuh Chau. On the southern bank of the other 
branch of the river is another high range of exceed- 
ingly irregular hills, whose dark outlines are visible 
from Fuh Chau, thus completing the beautiful basin 
in which the city is situated. One of these hills, an 
abrupt eminence, called "Tiger-hill," which towers 
up in the distance just opposite the city, is supposed 
to have a strange influence over the destiny of Fuh 
Chau. It is said that an early prophet declared that 
when this hill, which terminates in an abrupt preci- 
pice on the river's edge, should fall, the city would 
be destroyed. To prevent this great catastrophe, two 
large granite lions are set up within the city walls, 
immediately facing this threatening hill, which are 



INTRODUCTORY NOTICE OF FUH CHAU. 25 

supposed to counteract all evil influence of this rugged 
elevation. 

As we approach Full Chau, the banks of the river 
on both sides are lined with boats; hundreds of small 
sam-pans, or row-boats, and larger vessels more per- 
manently located, which serve as residences for their 
owners. These water residences are one of the strik- 
ing features of Chinese life, and are found in all parts 
of the empire. The river population of Fuh Chau 
must amount to several thousand souls, born and 
reared, and spending their lives on these boats. The 
stream is occupied by hundreds of junks of all forms 
and sizes, from the massive uncouth vessels of Shan- 
tung to the neat little black painted crafts of Ningpo. 
In the center of the river lies a large island called 
Tong-chiu, or " middle island," connected with the 
banks of the river on each side by stone bridges, and 
densely covered with buildings, and occupied by a 
busy, thriving multitude, numbering several thou- 
sands. Several native official residences are found 
on this island, and formerly it was occupied by three 
mission families. The bridges which span the river 
on each side of the island are interesting specimens 
of Chinese ingenuity and patient labor; while the 
multifarious traffic which is conducted under small 
booths, lining one side of the wmole extent of the 
bridge, and the thronging, bustling, noisy crowd 
which is perpetually pressing over it, give fine exhi- 
bitions of Chinese life. The bridges are of solid 



26 THE MISSION CEMETEEY. 

stone, not arched, as we sometimes read, but consist 
of lmge blocks of granite, more than twenty feet in 
length, and two and a half or three feet square, laid 
side by side, from pier to pier, thus constituting a 
solid stone flooring, which is covered by level flag- 
stones, firmly cemented together. A etone balustrade 
runs along each side, consisting of flat blocks of 
granite about twelve feet long, two feet wide, and 
four inches in thickness, having their extremities 
deeply set in heavy granite columns, which are ter- 
minated on their summit by rude figures of Chinese 
sculpture, such as lions, tigers, dragons, etc. From 
its solid structure, and consequent durability, it is 
called the "bridge of ten thousand ages." As the 
tide descends, the current of the river is very rapid 
at Fuh Chan ; and as the water forces its way through 
the narrow spaces of the bridge, it breaks into numer- 
ous noisy cascades, from which circumstance it is 
sometimes called " the bridge of a myriad sounds." 
Of course, it is only a " foot-bridge," for the simple 
reason that the Chinese do not make use of horses 
and carriages, but accomplish all necessary trans- 
portation of persons and goods by the shoulders of 
men and women. 

On the south side of the river is a large suburb 
called A-to, divided into several districts, and 
stretching, for some two miles, along the river bank. 
In the lower part it expands over the level plain, 
presenting a mass of buildings and a dense popula- 



INTRODUCTORY NOTICE OF FUH CIIAU. 27 

tion, with some of its streets stretching far back to- 
ward the rice fields of the country. Throughout the 
greater part of the length of this suburb the ground 
rises from the bank of the river into broken hills, 
the faces of which are occupied with buildings and 
numerous temples, and the summits fringed with 
pine and fir-trees. Stretching for miles among these 
hills, in the rear of the population, is the city of the 
dead, the principal burying-ground of Full Chan. 
Here we may wander for hours among thousands of 
tombs of every size, from the small conical mound, 
covered with hard plaster, beneath which rest the 
remains of the humble poor, to the spacious, well- 
paved, and ornamented monument, covering an area 
of several hundred square feet, which indicates the 
resting-place of wealth and importance. Here, too, 
in a little secluded vale, covered with grass, shaded 
by clusters of olive and guava-trees, marked by its 
simple granite tombs differing from the thousands 
around them, and only separated from these curious 
graves of the natives by some clusters of shrubbery, 
is the "Mission Cemetery of Fuh Chan," where sleep 
in the calm repose of death those precious ones whose 
memory we here preserve. 

A population of perhaps fifty thousand is found in 
this great suburb, consisting chiefly of moderate 
artisans and traders, whose shops and stores are 
arranged along the main street, and of boatmen, 
sailors, and merchants, and traders of Ningpo and 



28 THE MISSION CEMETERY. 

other places, who come to the city in trading junks. 
An extensive market in fruit, fish, and vegetables is 
carried on by the country women throughout the 
length of the principal street skirting along the river. 
This suburb seems to abound in temples, some of 
them constructed on a scale of great magnitude ; 
and one, known as the Ningpo Temple, dedicated to 
the worship of Matsoo-po, " the goddess of the sea," 
is one of the most massive and interesting in the 
city. The gongs, and bells, and musical instruments 
of these idolatrous temples kept up a perpetual din 
throughout this suburb. 

Circumstances have fixed this locality as the chief 
residence of foreigners at Fuh Chau. It was at once 
occupied at several points by the missions : in the 
district of Tuai-liang, by the American Board Mis- 
sion ; and in the district of Chong-seng by the 
Methodist Episcopal mission. The whole force of 
the Methodist mission is now located on a healthy 
elevated spot overlooking the whole vast suburb, and 
commanding a magnificent view of the whole "happy 
valley " of Fuh Chau. In addition to the ordinary 
Chinese chapel and school-house located here, this 
mission has recently completed, on the main street 
of this district, a neat Anglo-Chinese chapel or 
church, designed for both English and Chinese 
service. In Tuai-liang are the house and chapel 
of the lamented Cummings, who has gone to his 
reward. They are now occupied by Mr. Hartwell 



INTRODUCTORY NOTICE OF FUH CHAU. 29 

and family. In this suburb, too, the merchants, who 
have recently discovered the eligibility of Fuh Chau 
as a place of extensive trade, have also located 
themselves ; and on the hill float the flags of America 
and England, from the residences of the consular 
representatives of these governments. 

On the north bank of the river lies another still 
more extensive suburb, stretching along the stream 
for a mile above and below the bridge, and reaching 
back a distance of nearly three miles to the walls of 
the city. In some places it spreads out to a con- 
siderable distance over the plain, and in others is 
contracted to the single winding street leading to 
the city gate. A population of perhaps a hundred 
thousand occupies this suburb, and it presents one of 
the most busy and interesting scenes about Fuh 
Chan. Stores, shops, factories, markets, banks, 
temples, arches, and public buildings are found in 
abundance ; and the main thoroughfare, which con- 
nects the whole suburb with the city, is thronged 
from morning till night with a bus} 7 , noisy mul- 
titude. 

In a very fine, elevated locality in this suburb, 
called Pona-sang, two missionary families of the 
American Board have fixed their residences, and 
near them, on the thronged thoroughfare, their 
chapels and schools. Here, too, the Methodist 
Episcopal mission has a center of operation in the 
district of Io7ig-fau / and in still another part of the 



30 THE MISSION CEMETEEY. 

vast suburb, this mission has completed, and recently 
dedicated to the worship of the " true God," a very 
neat and commodious church, the first erected in 
Fuh Chau. 

Leaving this great suburb, by passing through the 
south gate, we enter the city proper, a vast and 
densely crowded metropolis, spreading over an area 
of many square miles, encircled by a massive stone 
wall, nearly nine miles in extent, and flanked every 
few rods with towers and bastions. - The best bird's- 
eye view of the city is to be had from the Wu-shih- 
shang, or " Black-stone hill," a dark rocky eminence 
in the northwestern part of the city, which rises first 
by a gentle acclivity, and then by a steep and abrupt 
ascent, until its dark summit, crowned with an altar, 
and the implements of idolatrous worship, towers 
above all the surrounding city. From this point 
may be contemplated one of the finest views in 
China, embracing the whole vast amphitheater en- 
circling Fuh Chau, bounded on all sides by the 
broken, irregular mountains, intersected by the wind- 
ing branches of the river, and numerous canals and 
water-courses, dotted every here and there with little 
hamlets and villages, animated by the wide-spread- 
ing city and its suburbs, and relieved here and there 
by large paddy fields and cultivated gardens, all 
luxuriant in tropical vegetation. On the left, at the 
foot of the hill, lie the romantic and picturesque 
grounds formerly occupied by the British consulate ; 



INTRODUCTORY NOTICE OF FUII CHAU. 31 

and on the right, the bold eminence on which, after 
many a struggle, the mission of the Church of 
England succeeded in establishing itself, where its 
buildings rise above all the plain, as a city set 
upon -a hill. At your feet lies the populous city of 
Fuh Chan, with its teeming masses of living idolatry. 
Only a few buildings rise above the general level, to 
diversify the monotonous sea of tile and roofs. Two 
pagodas lift themselves up within the city wall, and 
towering high above all the surrounding buildings 
are prominent objects to the eye. Every here and 
there the eye is arrested by the joss-poles of honor, 
indicating the residences of the great mandarins of 
the city; or by the bright red color of the exterior of 
some more massive buildings, which bespeak the 
localities of the various temples scattered over the 
whole city. 

The fantastic form of the city watch-towers, and 
the more regular square form of the public granaries, 
impart some little relief to the fatiguing similarity of 
objects. The city is richly supplied with large wide- 
spreading shade trees, which, rising above the build- 
ings, and spreading their verdant branches over the 
roofs, give to the city the appearance of being em- 
bosomed in a vast grove. But the noise and din 
perpetually ascending from below, the trade-cries 
and bells from the crowded streets, the beating of 
gongs, drums, and cymbals from the precincts of 
the temples, the noise of fire- works and crackers from 



32 THE MISSION CEMETERY. 

the offerings of the devout, soon convince us that it 
is not a grove of solitude, but is animated by a full 
tide of population. 

Such is the city of Fuh Chau, as its presents itself to 
the eye when contemplating its vast outlines. When 
we descend into the midst of this teeming mass of life, 
we find still more to interest us by its novelty, and to 
impress us with the idea of the importance of this 
great heathen city. The appearance of a Chinese 
city is very different from that of the cities of 
Christian and enlightened countries. One striking 
feature is the narrowness, irregularity, and filthiness 
of the streets. These, in the city of Fuh Chau, are 
but seldom more than ten feet wide; and as each 
shopkeeper is allowed about two feet on which to 
place his counter before his house, the actual width 
of the street available for passing and repassing is 
only six feet, and through this narrow space a dense 
population, eagerly engaged in multifarious avoca- 
tions, is thronging and crowding its way all the day 
long. 

No horses or beasts of burden, or carriages for 
men or goods, are used in this city ; and as men, and 
women, and children too, are the beasts of burden, 
and all movable articles are borne to and fro upon 
their shoulders, we may easily fancy the thronged and 
noisy character of Chinese streets and by-ways. Se- 
dan chairs jostling against each other, borne by rough 
and boisterous coolies; huge baskets of salt fish, boxes 






iii I 



Mil i L 
!i ill 



!li ' '' I ;il I 

11 



6 ;■: 



' >m 



'"ill 



SIP 



si 



ii 



.-,M> 






: i: 



: 






flfli ,■■■,' 

i I Hull 



MI'M 1 '' : 
I'i'jii 



Hi ii; 1 ! 



!>„yy 




INTRODUCTORY NOTICE OF FUH CTIAU. 35 

of tea, bags of rice, a countless variety of manufac- 
tured articles, vegetables, poultry, live and slaugh- 
tered animals for the market, and other tilings too 
numerous to mention, borne on the shoulders of men, 
and women, and children, thronging and crowding 
each other, each struggling for room and jostling his 
neighbor out of the way, and each panting, sweating, 
toiling bearer helping to keep up a continual noise 
by crying to his neighbors to " look out," or " take 
care," or " walk straight," or " keep to the right," and 
the din of beggars' gongs and tradesmen's bells inter- 
mingling with angry and vulgar epithets from men, 
women, and children, make up the every-day scenes 
of a street in Fnh Chan. 

Along these thronged and narrow streets are 
arranged the homes, and stores, and shops of the 
Chinese. These, in the vast majority of instances, are 
nothing more than little one-storied bamboo or mud- 
plastered hovels, without window or chimney, with- 
out ceiling or plastered partition ; with a rough tile 
roof, dark and dreary, hanging over head ; a ground 
floor, and black and filthy walls with a store or work- 
shop in front ; an open clay furnace, set in any part 
of the house, the smoke being left to find its way out 
through the cracks and crevices of the roof and walls ; 
a few four-legged benches, a couple of odd-shaped 
chairs, some narrow boards laid side by side on stools, 
covered with a piece of matting, and provided with 
a round piece of wood to rest the head upon, intended 



36 THE MISSION CEMETERY. 

for a bed, or, in some instances, a huge and clumsy 
bedstead, carved and gilded, but filthy and smoke- 
stained, constituting the furniture. 

This, to be sure, is not universally the case, but is 
so much so as to constitute the general type of houses 
and homes in Fuh Chau. Even the houses of those 
whose circumstances appeared to be easy, the houses 
of well-dressed merchants, who, on the streets and in 
their stores, are richly dressed in silks, satins, crapes, 
and broadcloth, still are but small one-storied estab- 
lishments, destitute of cleanliness, neatness, and com- 
fort. Here and there we find these one-storied domi- 
cils spreading over a considerable area, and embrac- 
ing a number of apartments, constituting the homes 
of the proud and affluent mandarins. Here we may 
find painted or carpeted floors, ceilings stuccoed and 
frescoed, and adorned with painted birds and flowers. 
Some of these are inclosed with plastered walls, and 
in some instances these inclosures present to us beau- 
tiful gardens, filled with choice plants of every variety, 
dwarf shrubs, trained in the forms of birds, animals, 
trees, boats, etc., and decorated with artificial ponds, 
rocks, caverns, winding passages, ornamental bridges, 
and summer houses. In these houses of the highest 
classes may be seen rich divans, carved and inlaid 
tables, gay and beautiful lanterns, embroidered tapes- 
try, gilded vases, fishes and birds in vases and gaudy 
cages, large mirrors, bureaus, bedsteads with mat- 
tresses and rich coverings and hangings, all elegantly 



INTRODUCTORY NOTICE OF FUH CHAU. 37 

and tastefully arranged. But such scenes are few 
and far between at Fuh Chau. 

A lively picture, indeed, is presented by the stores 
and shops so profusely arranged along the narrow 
streets, all presenting a full open front, and display- 
ing the operations and the contents within. Here 
are to be seen the artisans of the various branches of 
native industry, plying their busy work, and vending 
the products of their labor in one and the same room, 
serving the purpose of workshop, warehouse, and 
salesroom. Here in one part are crowded together, 
in their narrow dwellings, amid the din of forges and 
hammers, little groups of wiredrawers, braziers, but- 
ton-makers, and smiths, with four men alternating their 
rapid blows on the sounding anvil. Here again are to 
be seen image-makers, lamp-makers, cabinet-makers, 
carpenters, trunk-makers, wood-turners, curriers, shoe- 
makers, tailors, gold and silver leaf beaters, umbrella- 
makers, cotton-beaters, grocers, druggists, stone-cut- 
ters, engravers, and decorators, all working away in 
the public gaze at the numerous arts which supply 
the necessities or luxuries of Chinese life. Thickly 
interspersed with these are the more gay and lively 
porcelain-shops, rice and tea stores, curiosity-shops, 
silk-dealers, trinket-makers, artificial flower shops, 
lantern stores, and book-rooms. At every corner are 
to be seen portable kitchens steaming away, and sup- 
plying to sundry hungry expectants the savory ma- 
terials of a hasty meal ; while, for the more aristo- 



38 THE MISSION CEMETERY. 

cratic, a succession of cook-shops, wine-shops, tea- 
rooms, pastry-cooks, and fruiterers, line the way. 

Along these thoroughfares, one of the first things 
to arrest the attention of the foreigner are the 
numerous temples and buildings erected for relig- 
ious purposes, their incredible number contrasting 
strangely with the appearance of general neglect, 
and the evidences which most of them present 
of desertion and decay. Nearly every street, 
and, indeed, sometimes every block or square, 
contains one or more of these idolatrous temples, 
their peculiar architecture and elevation above the 
other buildings everywhere arresting the eye. They 
abound in the suburbs, are found in every village, 
are scattered along the public highways, and are 
often seen standing out alone in the solitary fields. 
And, as if this were still not enough, we discover 
almost every mile on the waysides, and every few 
hundred yards on each street, small chapels or joss- 
houses, in which are niches occupied by idols, and 
vases perpetually containing burning incense. 

Judging from such sights, the stranger would very 
naturally conclude that the people of Fuh Chau are 
devoted in their attachment to their national relig- 
ions, and are wedded to their idols and supersti- 
tions. A closer examination, however, will soon con- 
vince him that such is not the case, and that the 
condition of these masses is rather that of religious 
indifference; that their idolatrous and unmeaning 



INTRODUCTORY NOTICE OF FUH CHAU. 39 

systems seem rather to be worn out and effete, and 
are no longer capable of satisfying the wants and 
commanding the interest of the people. Not the 
least evidence of this is presented by these very tem- 
ples and places of worship themselves. Nearly every 
one of them exhibits evidences of desertion and 
decay. Many of them seem never to be opened at 
all, and are covered with dust and filth. Others, 
entirely abandoned, are' crumbling to ruins ; their 
walls are fallen, and overgrown with weeds and moss; 
their spacious courts are empty and desolate ; and 
their huge idols are broken and crumbling to dust on 
their deserted shrines. But few temples are now 
being built, and most of those now existing were 
built many years ago. 

Such is a rapid outline of the scenes presented by 
the city of Fuh Chau, a pagan city of more than half 
a million of souls, and surrounded by a suburban 
population of more than half a million more, all now 
open to the missionary enterprise of the Church, and 
inviting the people of God to enter in and pos- 
sess it. 

But we must pass to a brief review of its mis- 
sionary history. 

Fuh Chau was scarcely known to foreigners before 
the treaties of 1840-42. It was even but little dis- 
turbed during the Anglo-Chinese war which preced- 
ed those treaties. It had been, however, for several 
years a profitable depot for the opium traffic, two 



40 THE MISSION CEMETERY. 

extensive British houses having their receiving ships 
stationed at the mouth of the river, and their agents 
residing in the suburbs of the city. Through the 
influence of these houses it was chosen as one of the 
ports opened to foreign trade and residence by the 
treaties, and was immediately occupied by a British 
consular establishment. Some years, however, were 
permitted to pass before this vast city attracted 
attention as a place of trade or a desirable point for 
missions. The magnitude and importance of the city 
were first made publicly known by Captain Col- 
linson, of the British Navy, who visited it officially 
in 1843. In the following year the Church Mis- 
sionary Society of England sent out the Rev. George 
Smith, now Bishop of Victoria, for the express pur- 
pose of visiting the open ports of China, and report- 
ing on their comparative claims and feasibility as 
mission stations. 

In December, 1845, Mr. Smith reached Fuh Chau, 
and spent nearly a month in exploring the city and 
its suburbs, and in investigating the question of its 
eligibility as a point for missionary action. Mr. S. 
was at once convinced of the importance and promise 
of this great city as a missionary field, and strongly 
recommended it to the Church Missionary Society for 
immediate occupancy. Its favorable situation, and 
its vast resources as a place of foreign trade, were 
only partially made known by this visitor, whose 
great business was to discover fields for missionary 



INTRODUCTORY NOTICE OF FUH CHAU. 41 

activity ; and consequently several years more 
passed before the advantages of this city were dis- 
covered and made available for foreign commerce. 

On the second day of January, 1846, the first Prot- 
estant missionary entered Fuh Chau. This honor 
belongs to Rev. Stephen Johnson, who already had 
been laboring for several years among the Chinese at 
Bangkok, in Siam, and who, as the Chinese at Bang- 
kok were from the province of Fukien, and spoke 
that dialect, was thought to be an available pioneer, 
and was directed to enter this port by the American 
Board of Commissioners, under whose auspices he 
was acting. Mr. Johnson's knowledge of the Chinese 
language, as used at Bangkok, was of little avail to 
him here, as, although in the province of Fukien, 
the dialect of Fuh Chau differs widely from that used 
by the Chinese of Siam. Mr. Johnson gave nearly 
six years of earnest pioneer missionary activity to 
this infant field, and then, under prostrated health, 
returned to his native land, where he still lives, 
abundant in labors, and patiently awaiting the 
coming of his Lord. 

The practised eye of Mr. Johnson soon saw in 
Fuh Chau a most desirable missionary station, and he 
recommended its rapid occupancy by the American 
Board. In a few months Rev. L. B. Peet and family, 
who had been fellow-laborers with Mr. Johnson in 
Siam, rejoined him again in Fuh Chau. For about 
ten years Mr. Peet and his estimable lady labored 



42 THE MISSION CEMETERY. 

efficiently in Fuh Chan, and then Mrs. Peet laid 
down the armor, and slept with the precious ones 
who had gone before. In 1856 Mr. Peet and his 
motherless children returned to America, where he 
still remains recruiting his health, and awaiting an 
opportunity to return to Fuh Chau. 

In 1846 the attention of the Methodist Episcopal 
Missionary Society was directed toward China, and 
after very considerable investigation of the claims of 
the various ports, decided on Fuh Chau for the lo- 
cation of their infant mission. Accordingly Eev. 
M. C. White and wife, and Eev. J. D. Collins, 
sailed for that port on the 15th of April, 1847, in 
the ship Heber, from Boston, and arrived at Fuh 
Chau early in September of the same year. Just 
one month after the arrival of these pioneers at Fuh 
Chau, on the 13th of October, 1847, two more mis- 
sionaries, Eev. Henry Hickok and wife, and Eev. 
E. S. Maclay, embarked on the Paul Jones at ISTew- 
York for the same destination, and reached Fuh 
Chau early in 1848. About one month after the 
sailing of these missionaries to reinforce the Method- 
ist Episcopal mission, another company sailed from 
Philadelphia, and arrived at Fuh Chau on the 7th 
of May, 1848, to join the mission of the American 
Board. This little band consisted of Eev. C. C. 
Baldwin and wife, Eev. Seneca Cummings and wife, 
and Eev. William Eichards. On the 31st of May, 
1850, this mission was again strengthened by the 



INTRODUCTORY NOTICE OF FUH CHAU. 43 

arrival of Rev. J. Doolittle and wife, who were ac- 
companied, on their voyage from Hong Kong, by the 
Rev. Messrs. "Welton and Jackson, who came under 
the auspices of the Church of England Missionary 
Society. Early in the same year the Rev. Messrs. 
Fast and Elquist, the first missionaries sent out to a 
foreign land from Sweden, by a recent society formed 
through the agency of Rev. Mr. Fielsteatt, long a 
missionary in Smyrna, arrived at Fuh Chan. 

The history of these young and promising mission- 
aries is brief and melancholy. After much and 
troublesome negotiation, they obtained the promise 
of a permanent residence in the neighborhood of the 
city walls ; and in October, 1850, only a few months 
after their arrival, they visited an English vessel at 
the mouth of the river to obtain the funds necessary 
to complete the contract. As the}' returned in their 
small boat, they were suddenly attacked by a Chinese 
piratical craft, filled with armed men, which had put 
off from one of the villages along the shore. During 
the encounter Mr. Fast was mortally wounded, and 
fell from the boat into the river, which was at once 
his death-bed and his grave. His remains were 
never recovered. Mr. Elquist, when his friend had 
fallen, threw himself into the river, and by diving 
under the water succeeded in reaching the shore, 
having received several wounds. For two days, 
smarting under his wounds, and enduring the in- 
tensest mental agony, he wandered on the mountains 



44 THE MISSION CEMETERY. 

which skirt the shore of the river, when he finally 
reached a point of land near to one of the receiving 
ships, and was discovered and taken on board. One 
of the pirates, reported to be the leader of the gang, 
was fatally wounded by a pistol shot from Mr. Fast, 
of which he shortly after died. The neighboring pirat- 
ical haunt, from which these murderers had put off, 
was subsequently destroyed by a military expedition 
dispatched from Fuh Chau. Mr. Elquist sank under 
the consequences of the frightful scenes through 
which he had passed, and in declining health visited 
Hong Kong early in 1851, in the hope that a change 
of climate and association would restore him to 
health. This result not having been realized, in 1852 
he embarked for Sweden. Thus terminated this 
first attempt of the Swedes to establish a mission in 
China. 

On the 9th of July, 1851, the Methodist Episcopal 
Mission was reinforced by the arrival of Rev. I. W. 
Wiley and wife, Rev. James Colder and wife, and 
Miss M. Seely ; and on the 9th of June, 1853, the 
mission of the American Board was strengthened by 
the arrival of Rev. Charles Hartwell and wife, the 
latter being a sister of Mrs. Cummings, already in 
the field. 

During this time Rev. Messrs. Hickok, Collins, 
Richards, Fast, Elquist, Johnson, Jackson, White, 
and Colder, had been withdrawn from the missions 
at Fuh Chau, some by death, others by sickness. 



INTRODUCTORY NOTICE OF FUH CHAU. 45 

The record of those who have finished their labor 
and gone to their reward, will be found in this 
work. 

In 1855 the Methodist Episcopal Mission was 
strengthened by Rev. Dr. Wentworth and wife, the 
last of whom soon fell, and sleeps in the cemetery at 
Full Chau. In the same year the mission was joined 
by Rev. Otis Gibson and wife, both of whom are still 
in the field. Dr. Wentworth was accompanied from 
Hong Kong to Fuh Chau by Rev. Mr. Macaw and wife, 
and Rev. Mr. Fernley, to strengthen the Church of 
England Mission. This estimable lady also fell in a 
few months, and rests in the cemetery attached to the 
British consulate at Fuh Chau. 

Such has been the force that has been sent into 
this great heathen city since its first occupancy in 
1846 ; in all, thirty-six male and female missionaries, 
of whom ten have died, thirteen have been com- 
pelled to retire by failing health and other causes, 
and thirteen still remain connected with the various 
missions. 

We present on the next page a tabular exhibit of 
this missionary force. 

The past ten years have been years of successful 
preparation, breaking up the new soil, and scattering 
on it the seeds of eternal truth. They are beginning 
to germinate and grow, and now the first-fruits are 
being gathered, and everything gives promise of a 
rich harvest. 



46 



THE MISSION" CEMETERY. 



Names. 


> 


Society. 




o & 
=: ?; 


Remarko. 


S. L. Johnson. 


1846 


A. B. C. F. M 


1851 


5 


Ill health of Mr. J. 


Mrs. Johnson. 


1850 


A. B. C. F. M. 


1851 


1 


Ill health of Mr. J. 


L. B. Peet and wife. 

j 


1846 


A. B. C. P. M. 


1S56 


20 


Mrs. P. died 1S56. 
Mr. P. retired. 


M. C. "White and wife. 


1847 


M. E. Miss. Soc. 


1852 


5 


Mrs. W. died May. 
1848. 


[J. D. Collins. 


1847 


M. E. Miss. Soc. 


1851 


4 


Eeturned, and died in 
America. 


|H. Hickok and wife. 


1848 


M. E. Miss. Soc. 


1849 


2 


Failure of health. 


B. S. Maclay. 


184S 


M E. Miss. Soc. 




9 


Still in the field. 


Mrs. Maclay. 


1850 


M. E. Miss. Soc. 




7 


Still in the field. 


C. C. Baldwin and wife. 


1S4S 


A. B. C. F. M. 




18 


Still in the field. 


S. Cummings and wife. 


184S 


A. B. C. F. M 


1855 


14 


Mr. C. died August, 
1856, in America. 


William Eichards. 


1848 


A. B. C. F. M. 


1851 


3 


Died at sea. 


Messrs. Fast and Elquist. 


1850 


Swedish M S. 


1850 


1 


Mr. F. was killed on 
the Min, and Mr. E. 
retired. 


J. Doolittle and wife. 


1850 


A. B. C. F. M. 




13 


Mrs. D. died in June, 
1856. Mr. D. is still 
in the field. 


William Welton. 


1850 


Ch. of Eng. M. S. 


1856 


6 


Eetired in ill health. 


Bobert Jackson. 


1850 


Ch. of Eng. M. S. 


1851 


1 


Eemoved to Ningpo. 


I. W. Wiley and wife. 


1851 


M. E. Miss. Soc 


1854 


5 


Mrs. W. died Nov., 
1853. 


James Colder and wife. 


1851 


M. E. Miss. Soc. 


1S53 


4 


Eetired. 


Miss M. Seely. 


1851 


M E. Miss. Soc. 


1S52 


1 


Married M. C. White, 
and returned in ill 
health. 


Charles Hartnell and wife. 


1S53 


A. B. C. F. M. 




8 


Still in the field. 


E. Wentworth and wife. 


1855 


M. E. Miss. Soc. 




3 


Mrs. W. died 1S55. 


Otis Gibson and wife. 


1855 


M. E. Miss. Soc. 




4 


Still in the field. 


Eev. Mr. Macaw and wife. 


1855 


Ch. of Eng. M. S. 




3 


Mrs. M died 1855. 


Bev. Mr. Fernley. 


1855 Ch. of Eng. M. S. 




3 





Notwithstanding the variable history of these mis- 
sions, the many that have fallen, the large propor- 
tionate number that have had to retire, and the 
numerous and grave obstacles which have presented 
themselves, Fuh Chan must be looked upon as a 
successful missionary station. These first ten years 
have necessarily been years of arduous and difficult 



INTRODUCTORY NOTICE OF FUH CHATJ. 47 

pioneer work, in a city hitherto unknown ; among 
a people bitterly prejudiced against the foreigner; 
and through the medium of a language which 
no foreigner had as yet ever attempted to learn ; 
which is difficult of acquisition, and in which the 
new and sublime facts and principles of the Gospel 
had never yet been expressed. Of necessity, then, 
the field was one of toil and difficulty, and we wonder 
not, in view of the vast labors resting on these 
pioneer men and women, so many fell. Yet a vast 
work has been accomplished for Fuh Chau. The 
Christian Church has been represented by thirty -six 
of her sons and daughters in this pagan cit} r . Ten 
of them have laid down their lives in bearing testi- 
mony to our great salvation ; six of them still sleep 
in the suburbs of this city, their silent tombs yet wit- 
nessing for Christ ; two of them rest beneath the soil 
of their native land ; two of them await in the depths 
of the great ocean the coming of the Lord. One 
hundred and thirty-nine years of actual missionary 
labor have been given as the sum of the toil of these 
men and women. The language has been mastered 
and reduced to a method of easy acquisition. Houses 
have been erected for missionary residences ; schools 
have been founded ; chapels have been opened ; 
churches have been built ; the Gospel of our Lord 
Jesus Christ has been preached ; the Bible has been 
printed and circulated in the classic version ; large 
portions of it have been translated into the colloquial 



48 THE MISSION CEMETEEY. 

dialect, and scattered broadcast over the city ; books 
have been published and circulated ; prejudices have 
been overcome and removed ; the great plan of sal- 
vation has been made known to perhaps a million of 
souls, and a deep and wide-spread impression has 
been made on this pagan city in favor of Christianity. 
The history of the past ten years, though present- 
ing, as in all pioneer missionary movements, its sad 
and melancholy pages, has yet been such as to de- 
monstrate the correctness of the action of the Ameri- 
can and British missionary societies in selecting it as 
a field for missionary activity. The fact that so many 
have fallen, and others under broken health been 
forced to retire, while it presents a mournful chapter in 
the history of missions at Fuh Chau, is no real cause 
for discouragement, nor does it evidence the ineligi- 
bility of this city as a missionary station. Perhaps 
the proportion of fallen missionaries here does not 
surpass that of other new and untried mission fields ; 
and we must remember, that although other parts of 
China had been occupied several years by mission- 
aries and foreign residents, yet Fuh Chau was en- 
tirely unknown, and presented all the hazards and 
difficulties of an entirely new field. The missionaries 
entered it, ignorant of the language, the habits, the 
modes of living, etc., of the inhabitants. They knew 
not what articles of clothing, furniture, and even of 
food, might be procured or could not be had, and for 
the want of this information had, in many instances, 



INTRODUCTORY NOTICE OF FUH CHAU. 49 

to endure grave disappointments and serious priva- 
tions. They had no homes ; rude, temporary shelter 
had to be provided, wholly unadapted to the wants 
of foreign residents in a new and untried climate. 
Long months, and even years had to pass before the 
prejudices of the people could be so far removed as 
to allow them to build comfortable houses. They 
met first of all the labor of acquiring a new language, 
about which no foreigner knew anything, toward 
which no books from other parts of China could be of 
service, and for which onerous task no teacher could 
be provided that could speak a word of English. 
They were in the midst of a new climate, new scenes, 
new modes of life, to all which they must learn to 
accustom themselves, while at the same time they 
were necessarily meeting grave obstacles and per- 
forming gigantic labors. No wonder many of them 
fell ; fell, however, bearing the banner of the Great 
King in the forefront of the Lord's host. 

These difficulties have been met and overcome. 
The night of toil breaks into the day of promise. 
Fuh Chau is now an inviting field of labor. Its cli- 
mate is understood ; the wants of the missionary are 
known and can be provided for ; houses have been 
built, and comfortable residences can be rapidly pro- 
cured; the language has been mastered, and made 
comparatively easy of acquisition ; the prejudices of 
the people have melted away; a large foreign trade 
has grown up ; a large foreign community is gather- 



50 THE MISSION CEMETERY. 

ing into the city. Fuh Chan is rapidly becoming an 
important center of commerce, and the conveniences 
and necessaries of missionary life can be provided 
on the spot. The pioneer work is nearly done. 
Henceforth there will be no such drain on missionary 
life. The climate of Fuh Chau is delightful through 
eight months of the year ; through the remaining four 
months, the only difficulty is the great heat incident to 
its tropical position, which can now be greatly provided 
against by the better homes of the missionaries, and 
by the numerous cool and refreshing resorts which 
have been found about the city. Unfortunate, in- 
deed, would be the mistake of the Church were she 
now to forsake her missions at Fuh Chau, or permit 
them to languish, just when her sons and daughters 
have finished their vast preparatory work, when the 
door is just widely opened, when the field is just 
white for the harvest, and thus throw away, on the 
eve of victory, these vast advantages for which she 
has paid the price of many precious lives. No ! let 
us cherish the memory of these fallen missionaries; 
let them live in the heart of the Church ; let the cem- 
etry at Fuh Chau, instead of startling us from the 
field, be as a precious voice from those that have 
borne the heat and burden of the day, calling us to 
enter into their labors. 



MRS. JANE ISABEL WHITE. 



MISSIONARY SOCIETY OF THE M. E. CHURCH. 



Br Rev. I. W. WILEY, M. D., 

l.ATE MISSIONARY PHYSICIAN AT FUH CHAU. 




MRS JANE ISABEL WHITE 



Utrs. faiujaabtl SStljite. 

MISSIONARY SOCIETT OF THE METHODIST EPISCOPAL CHURCH.* 



Jane Isabel Atwatek, the subject of this memoir, 
was born near Homer, Cortland county, New- York, 
on the 22d of August, 1822. Her parents, Ezra At- 
water and Esther Learning, were natives of Connec- 
ticut, and inherited the principles and spirit of their 
Puritan ancestors. Isabel was deprived of her mother 
when only four years of age; but she had, even in 
that brief period, received impressions from her faith- 
ful Christian nurture which were never entirely 
effaced. She remembered distinctly standing by her 
bedside, and receiving her dying charge. The scene 
was never forgotten. Those parting counsels sank 
into the mind of the child, and did much to -mold it 
to its peculiar pat 'era. 

Miss Atwater's early education was strictly re- 

* A large portion of the materials for this memoir has been 
drawn from an excellent notice of Mrs. "White, by Eev. M. J. 
Hickok, of Eochester, New-York, published in the American 
Missionary Memorial, edited by H. W. Pierson, A.M., and issued 
in 1853 by Harper & Brothers. 

4 



56 THE MISSION CEMETEKY. 

ligious. Though deprived of her mother, her father 
still lived, a man of devoted piety, and who exhibited 
his religion in a remarkable degree in the domestic 
circle. Mr. Atwater was among the first who entered 
into the formation of a Methodist society in the region 
in which he lived, and for many years his house was 
the home of the earnest and warm-hearted itinerants 
who were laying the foundations of Methodism in 
"Western New- York. Under the influence of his pious 
example and touching home lessons, his motherless 
family grew up in the nurture and admonition of the 
Lord. One of his sons is a prominent minister in one 
of the conferences of the Methodist Episcopal Church, 
while nearly all the family have been zealous and de- 
voted Christians. 

Never will the children of this pious father forget 
the solemn warnings and earnest appeals addressed 
to them individually every Saturday evening. In 
Mr. Atwater's family that evening was sacred time, 
and its hallowing influence did much to impress 
upon his children that rare stamp of Christian char- 
acter for which they are remarkable. Yet Isabel ever 
maintained that his prayers were more effectual than 
his counsels. "We knew," she wrote to a friend just 
before she left America, "the stated times and places 
of his intercession for us, and even then felt its 
influence." 

Isabel was favored with very early religious im- 
pressions, and seems to have become a Christian 



MRS. JANE ISABEL WHITE. 57 

when a child. At ten years of age she had read the 
Bible through in course, for which 'she received from 
her father the present of a Bible, which she preserved 
to the day of her death ; and its well-worn leaves 
attest how faithfully she studied the sacred treasure. 
She never knew the date of her conversion to Christ. 
Her early years were passed amid the sweet influ- 
ences of a Christian family, and she seemed to glide 
imperceptibly into the experiences of a religious life. 
Exceedingly amiable in her disposition, docile in 
temper, and active in the acquisition of knowledge, 
she discharged her Christian duties with a zeal and a 
relish uncommon in children. She could not remem- 
ber the time when she did not endeavor to perform 
them. Many well-marked and recollected changes 
occurred in her religious experience, but they 
seemed to be successive developments of Christian 
character. One of the most marked and decisive of 
these changes occurred at the time of her public pro- 
fession of religion. 

In November, 1838, at the age of sixteen, she left 
home for the purpose of pursuing her studies at the 
Oneida Conference Seminary, in Cazenovia, Madison 
County, N. Y., where she remained till March 30, 
1840. Here she entered upon a new theater of exist- 
ence. Her grasping desire for knowledge could now 
be gratified. Her religious character, also, was to be 
subjected to new tests and more severe exposures 
than she had ever known before. Soon after enter- 



58 THE MISSION CEMETERY. 

ing the seminary, the importance of personal faith in 
Christ, and of mating a public profession of Chris- 
tianity, was deeply impressed upon her heart. Hith- 
erto she had tried to be a Christian without uniting 
with the Church. Now, however, she says of her- 
self: "Thrown among perfect strangers, destitute of 
pious influence and restraint in my new home, I felt 
that the time had come for me to choose on whose 
side I would rank myself; but I allowed nearly a year 
to pass before I confessed Christ before the world. I 
waited for some one to encourage me and invite me 
to his fold, till I dared not wait any longer." These 
deeper workings of her heart seem to have been 
awakened by reading the memoir of Miss Hobbie. 
She says : " I believe this book was the means of 
inducing me to come out decidedly for the Lord." 
She united with the Methodist Episcopal Church in 
Cazenovia on the 21st of January, 1840, and was 
received into full membership at Homer, December 
6, 1840. From that time until the day of her death 
she was emphatically a "burning and a shining 
light." 

During the summer of 1840 she taught a public 
school near Homer, where she began to evince the 
practical character of her religion by opening her 
school every morning with prayer, an exercise which 
had just begun to have a decided influence on her 
pupils, when, greatly to her grief and the disappoint- 
ment of the scholars, she was ordered to discontinue 



MRS. JANE ISABEL WHITE. 59 

the practice by the trustees of the school. During 
the winter of 1840-41 she attended the academy at 
Homer, and again taught school during the following 
summer. She loved teaching, and in this employment 
was always cheerful and happy. At the close of her 
summer school she wrote in her journal : " Truly this 
summer has been to me one green spot on the desert 
of life." During this time she steadily increased in 
piety and active Christian virtue, taking her greatest 
delight in doing good to others. 

In September, 1841, she returned to Cazenovia, 
and re-entered the seminary. Here she began to be 
inspired by the spirit of missions, and soon was moved 
with a burning desire to become a missionary to the 
heathen. Two essays which she read publicly in the 
seminary at this time, were stirring appeals for the 
missionary cause, which were long remembered and 
felt in their influence, and which at the time fell like 
electric fire on one whose heart was already deeply 
enlisted in the missionary cause, and who has since 
gone forth as a herald of the cross to the realms of 
heathen darkness. In July, 1842, she completed the 
regular course of study, and received the diploma of 
the seminary. 

In the autumn of 1842 she went to reside at 
Rochester, and the next April connected herself with 
the Washington-street Bethel Church in that city. 
This was a sort of union Bethel or mission church, 
located in the vicinity of the canal, and in a neigh- 



60 THE MISSION CEMETERY. 

borhood which strongly invited such an aggressive 
movement. Some earnest Christians, of several de- 
nominations, had united in this enterprise, and were 
accomplishing much good by their active personal 
efforts among a class of people seldom found in 
church, unless brought there by others. These zeal- 
ous Christians would meet at the church on Sabbath 
morning, some time previous to the hour of service, 
and then dispersing in several directions, would liter- 
ally go out into the highways and along the by- 
places, urging all they found to come to the Gospel 
feast. This movement at once commended itself to 
the subject of our memoir, and her missionary spirit 
and ardent desire to do good where it was most needed, 
led her to connect herself with this Church; and 
though it subsequently passed over into other hands, 
and became the Washington-street Presbyterian 
Church, yet her genial, catholic spirit found no diffi- 
culty in continuing her membership and her labors 
there. Her manner and spirit in the various walks 
of Christian usefulness there, are yet held in grateful 
remembrance. Modest, retiring, unobtrusive, she 
literally "did good by stealth." Whatever sphere of 
activity demanded most self-denial and humility, 
there she was found, struggling with difficulties, pa- 
tiently removing obstacles, cheering with her con- 
stant ardor, and charming, by her lovely spirit, all 
who came into contact with her. 
The field of her chief labor and solicitude at 



. MRS. JANE ISABEL WHITE. 61 

Rochester, was the infant department of the Sabbath 
school in the Washington-street Church. This was 
then a laborious and responsible post. From thirty to 
sixty children were constantly under her care. The 
most of them were gathered up by personal efforts, 
and had no other religious training than that which 
they received in that school. Over them all her large 
heart yearned with Christian tenderness ; and her 
hands and feet were swift to perform every kind 
office for their temporal and eternal welfare. No 
one knew, not even her nearest relatives, how much 
labor and solicitude she bestowed upon that neglect- 
ed class of children. In the judgment of her friends 
she often overtaxed her strength ; and to allay their 
anxiety in her behalf, she performed an untold 
amount of secret labor, in visiting from house to 
house, and praying with the objects of her compas- 
sion. In speaking of this school, after her connec- 
tion with it had ceased, she said : " Though some- 
times a sense of responsibility connected with it has 
been so great as to affect my health, I have ever felt 
it to be a blessed work. My confidence in its 
efficacy is constantly increasing. It has enlarged my 
heart toward every little child I meet, with slrovg 
desires that they may be included in the kingdom of 
God, and become active laborers in his vineyard. 
May he forgive me if I have loved the Sabbath- 
school cause too well, or attached too much import- 
ance to it." 



62 THE MISSION CEMETERY. 

Her attention was turned to the subject of missions, 
as we have seen, as early as 1841. In the autumn of 
that year, while enjoying a peculiar manifestation of 
the Saviour's love, her mind was directed to the 
heathen by an incidental remark. The impression 
that it was her duty, together with the desire that it 
might be her lot, to labor personally and directly in 
their behalf, from that time began to take possession 
of her soul. These feelings deepened and strength- 
ened, till she was led to consecrate herself, body, 
mind, and heart, to this great work. She solemnly 
resolved, that while life and health were spared, she 
would hold herself in readiness to engage in it, when- 
ever and wherever the providence of God should 
direct. 

This deliberate purpose of her soul, however, was 
subjected to a severe trial. For nearly four years she 
could see no way of its realization. But she never 
once faltered. In heart and life she was a missionary. 
She conscientiously adopted those habits of self-denial 
and endurance which she supposed would be neces- 
sary upon the foreign field. In her dress, intercourse, 
conversation, and whole style of living, she endeav- 
ored to exemplify the true missionary spirit. This 
became at length her master passion. The society of 
friends, the ties of relationship, the dearest earthly 
love, were all made to bend sternly to this one con- 
trolling desire of her life. 

Her acquaintance with Mr. White, the husband 



MBS. JANE ISABEL WHITE. 63 

and companion of her hiissionary life, reached back 
to the days when they were pursuing their studies 
together at Cazenovia. Similar views and hopes in 
regard to the missionary work served to ripen and 
cherish this acquaintance ; but the consummation of 
their mutual hope was for years in painful doubt. 
The Missionary Society of the Methodist Episcopal 
Church had not yet opened any missions in foreign hea- 
then countries, except the colonial mission in Liberia, 
in Africa, and the policy of sending white missionaries 
into that field was of doubtful propriety. At length 
the establishment of a new mission in the Chinese 
empire was determined upon by the Missionary 
Board, and Mr. White was strongly recommended as 
a suitable pioneer missionary in this new enterprise 
and difficult field. Yet, after months of hesitation 
and delay, during which these two hearts were kept 
fluctuating between hope and fear, the decision 
finally was made to send into this new and untried 
field an older and more experienced man, and Mr. 
"W". supposed that his labors must necessarily be 
expended at home. 

When this intelligence reached Miss Atwater, it 
fell upon her like a thunderbolt ! The cherished 
object of her life seemed to be dashed to the earth, her 
only idolatry broken and rebuked ! It was a heavy 
blow, and her sensitive soul struggled with it in 
silence. An informal note to a confidential friend 
reveals to us the working of her spirit under this sore 



64 THE MISSION CEMETERY. 

disappointment : " I received' a short letter yesterday, 
but long enough to tell me that I am disappointed ! 
The question is decided, almost ; scarcely a vestige 
of hope remains ! .... I did not look forward to 
the appointment with certainty ; but my dearest 
hopes and wishes were centered there, more firmly, 
indeed, than I had supposed. I feel as if set adrift, 
with regard to every plan or scheme for the future. 
. . . This event will be the signal for the renewal 
of a mental conflict which has raged for two years, 
and which only subsided while that question was still 
uncertain. A favorable decision would have ended 
that conflict forever. But if the recommendation of 
the bishop is carried into effect, the pole-star of my 
existence for the last few years will be blotted from 
the sky ! It is indeed a dark cloud that now in- 
tervenes." 

These expressions indicate the deepest emotions. 
By far the most painful struggle of her life occurred 
at this time. Should she give up her cherished mis- 
sionary longings, and settle down upon this decision 
as the expressed will of Providence ? Most individ- 
uals would not have hesitated to do so. Many would 
have been glad to avail themselves of such an inter- 
pretation of the ways of Providence. But she could 
not thus sever herself from the cherished purpose of 
her soul. The missionary spirit in her was not only 
the offspring of a sense of duty, but was pervaded 
also by the earnest desire of her heart. Hence, 



MRS. JANE ISABEL WHITE. 65 

while she bowed in silent submission to the dark dis- 
pensation, she did not relinquish the hope of spend- 
ing her life as a missionary. Her fear on that point 
was her only bitterness. There were no groveling or 
selfish feelings in her experience ; but the grand 
difficulty which weighed upon her spirits and en- 
feebled her health, was to give up the cherished 
passion of her life, and leave the heathen world to 
die without any personal agency in giving it the 
Gospel ! 

But her pious desires and purposes were not to be 
wholly disappointed. God first tried his servants, 
and then opened the way for the fulfillment of their 
cherished object. The singular train of providences 
which resulted, in the course of a few months, in the 
substitution of Mr. White for the man who had been 
originally designated to that field, need not here be 
explained. They were unanticipated, and, to human 
view, mysterious. The final appointment was made 
but a few weeks before the missionaries sailed. 
They were weeks of high exultation to Mrs. White. 
She had been brought to submit cheerfully to the 
great Disposer of all events before she had any inti- 
mation of his will in the ultimate disposition of this 
matter. She herself recognized in her own unac- 
countable calmness, even when all was dark, the as- 
surance that her chief desire should be gratified. " I 
will bring the blind by a way that they know not," 
was to her not only a sweet promise, but a prophetic 



66 THE MISSION CEMETERY. 

announcement. She trusted it, and found that her 
confidence was not misplaced. She entered upon the 
missionary work at last under circumstances more 
auspicious, perhaps, than she had ever pictured to 
her glowing fancy. It is thus that many of the dark 
dispensations in the life of God's children are but 
disciplinary preparations for higher manifestations of 
God's favor and love. 

Time was short, and but a few weeks were before 
our young missionaries to prepare for their long 
voyage and arduous mission. On the 13th of March, 
1847, they were married in the Washington-street 
Church, Rochester, before a large concourse of sym- 
pathyzing friends, by Rev. Samuel Luckey, D.D., 
presiding elder of Rochester district. But a single 
month passed, busily occupied in preparing their outfit, 
and on the 15th of April they sailed from Boston in 
the ship " Heber." Their colleague in this new en- 
terprise was Rev. J. D. Collins, who accompanied 
them in their voyage, and who, after a few years of 
earnest and successful missionary toil, returned to 
America broken in health, to find a grave in the 
country of his fathers. His memoir occupies a place 
in this record of the fallen missionaries of Fuh Chau. 
They were also accompanied on their voyage by Rev. 
Mr. Doty and wife, and Rev. S. Y. A. Talmage, mis- 
sionaries of the American Board, who were destined 
for Amoy, where they still live, doing noble work for 
the Master's cause. 



»IKS. JANE ISABEL WHITE. 67 

We need not follow them in their journey ings 
across the great sea. A pleasant and prosperous 
voyage of one hundred and ten days brought them 
to the shores of China, and on the evening of August 
4, 1847, they anchored off the city of Macao. They 
remained several days in the vicinity of Macao, 
Canton, and Hong Kong, making preparations for 
their further voyage up the coast of China, for they 
had yet a voyage of five hundred miles to make, at 
that time the most dangerous and trying part of the 
voyage to Fuh Chan. From Hong Kong she dropped 
the following note to her brother, breathing the same 
earnest and hopeful spirit, and evincing the same 
courage and trust in God which characterized her 
Christian life in America, and which accompanied 
her down to the shades of death itself. 

"Dear Brother, — As I have given a minute ac- 
count of our voyage, in letters that are now en route, 
I will only say in this, that with God's blessing we 
anchored safely at Macao, on the fourth of August, 
after a voyage of one hundred and ten days from 
Boston. The sum total of our voyage is, that we had 
a pleasant passage, little sickness, no ' ennui,' a kind 
captain, agreeable passengers, and no accidents. We 
stopped one day at Macao, and left the next for 
Whampoa, the anchorage for shipping about twelve 
miles from Canton. To accomplish this trip we all 
got into a 'sam-pan,' a small Chinese boat worked 
by rowers, and were soon landed at Dr. Parker's, 



68 THE MISSION CEMETERY. 

where we took dinner. Canton is the most indescri- 
bable place I ever saw. I could scarcely obtain a 
correct or clear idea of it myself. It seemed to bo 
just one mass of buildings, as the streets are mere 
paved paths, not so wide as the side walks in Boston, 
and covered most of the way by verandahs meeting 
above. The foreign part is more open, and contains 
some splendid buildings. Adjoining it is the Ameri- 
can garden, a fine promenade, and the only one the 
foreign residents have, as they do not venture into 
the streets much. I walked a mile through the city 
in company with Dr. Ball and daughter to his house, 
where we had been invited to breakfast. It was 
thought quite a feat, as females had scarcely begun 
to venture into the streets since the troubles in April. 
Our appearance created some sensation, though we 
were not disturbed. 

"We left Canton in a Chinese 'fast boat,' a crazy 
looking but sufficiently comfortable craft, for Hong- 
Kong, distant seventy miles. We stopped at the 
Heber on the way, and took in our luggage, bidding 
good-by to the captain and crew, and the noble ship 
that had brought us so safely on our trackless jour- 
ney. There was so much freight among us six pas- 
sengers that we had to charter two boats, living in 
one, and trusting most of our things to the honesty of 
the Chinese in the other. We provided for ourselves, 
the natives doing our cooking. Dr. Parker furnished 
our ' chow chow,' which is the phrase here for sup- 



MRS. JANE ISABEL WHITE. 69 

plies of food ; while kind Captain T., of the Heber, 
contributed a boiled ham, bread, cheese, etc. We 
reached Hong Kong in thirty-six hours, and were 
warmly welcomed by the missionaries of the Ameri- 
can Board. In heathen lands, blessed be God, we 
are all one in Christ. Here we separated from onr 
dear friends, Mr. and Mrs. Doty and Rev. Brother 
Talmage, who had gone on their way to Amoy. 
Being now all ready to start for Fuh Chau, where, 
unless we arrive before the change of monsoon, 
(which is near,) we cannot go till next spring, you 
may judge of our joy at the arrival on Tuesday of 
the 'T. W. Sears,' with our truant chattels. As 
there was no vessel going direct to Fuh Chau, we 
have been obliged to charter a small lorcha, in which 
we must make the remainder of our voyage. 

"Through the kindness of my Boston friends, to 
whom a lasting debt of gratitude is due, I was made 
very comfortable on the voyage. May the Lord 
reward them a hundred fold. We expect to leave 
to-morrow. All well and happy. Do not be over 
anxious for us. 

" We have experienced abundant evidence of the 
especial care and protection of our heavenly Father. 
His guiding hand has, indeed, been over us. I have no 
fears for the future, though I know that a difficult and 
toilsome, if not dangerous path is before me." 

On the morning of August 21 they embarked on the 
lorcha, and sailed for Fuh Chau, where they arrived 



70 THE MISSION CEMETERY. 

on the 7th of September, 1847. Of the five consular 
cities or ports of China open to foreigners, this is the 
middle one, and in point of population the second. In 
all respects, perhaps, this is the most desirable place 
of residence for missionaries in China. Situated 
about thirty miles from the ocean, on the river Min, 
which, for beauty, grandeur, and sublimity, surpasses 
even the noble Hudson, but then considered danger- 
ous for the navigation of foreign vessels, Fuh Chan 
had as yet been un visited by any of those influences 
which too often spring from extensive foreign inter- 
course in heathen countries, and which too often* 
operate as obstacles to missionary work. Quietly 
seated in its own vast amphitheater, made by the 
towering mountains which surround it, the whole 
great valley presenting a scene of beauty but seldom 
witnessed, and covered by the great city and its wide- 
spreading suburbs, with their population of a million 
souls, it presented to our young missionaries a vast, 
open, and promising field. They were the first to 
enter it from the United States; for though they were 
warmly greeted by Rev. Mr. and Mrs. Peet, and 
Rev. S. Johnson, of the American Board, who had 
arrived a few months before, these last were already 
tried and experienced missionaries, and had entered 
China from Siam. 

A small island in the river, densely populated, con- 
stitutes a part of the suburbs of this great city. On 
this island Mr. and Mrs. White, and Mr. Collins, took 



MRS. JANE ISABEL WHITE. 71 

up their residence. Here, amid the most charming 
scenery in the world, surrounded by nearly a million 
perishing heathen, whose earthly abodes could all be 
seen at a single glance, the subject of our memoir 
entered with a full heart upon her actual missionary 
life. Here all her evangelical sympathies were 
awakened, and she devoted herself to her preparatory 
labors w T ith a zeal too fervent for her delicate consti- 
tution. Sad mistake, too often made, but hard to 
avoid by. the young, enthusiastic missionary. A 
heavy task, amid novel duties, strange scenes, and in 
a new and untried field, pressed upon her. Her 
earnest spirit urged her too rapidly to attempt its 
accomplishment. She managed the domestic con- 
cerns of the missionary family, and spent several 
hours of each day in intense study, endeavoring to 
master the gigantic difficulties of the Chinese lan- 
guage. Whenever she went about the streets she 
was thronged with benighted women and children, to 
whom she longed to communicate the knowledge of 
a Saviour. But her tongue was tied! The gift of 
speech in that most difficult of all languages was, 
indeed, an acquisition highly to be prized. Mrs. 
White desired it earnestly, and sought it with a vigor 
and perseverance which broke her constitution, and 
probably cut short her days. She had contracted a 
slight cold in the autumn, soon after she arrived in 
the country, and her extraordinary labors in the 
exhausting atmosphere of a new climate, and through 



72 THE MISSION CEMETERY. 

a damp, chilly winter, brought on a disease of the 
lungs, which carried her rapidly to the grave. We 
must remember, too, the trials and exposures to which 
our pioneer missionaries were subjected, in the im- 
possibility of securing comfortable homes, and pro- 
viding many of the necessaries of life in this heathen 
city, where all was then new and unknown. 

Mrs. White began soon to realize that her mis- 
sionary life was to be a short one, and that her 
mission to China was to be like that of those who 
being dead still speak. She was to make the first 
missionary grave in Fuh Chau, and her preaching 
was to be the silent preaching of the fallen pioneer, 
addressed to the missionaries and the heathen around 
her, and to the Church that sent her forth. Yet this 
conviction did not shake her faith, nor make her 
spirits droop, nor subdue the ardor of her missionary 
devotion. She worked while she lived, and trusted 
in the God of missions when she died. That remark- 
able exhilaration of spirits at the prospect of devoting 
her life to the missionary work, which to her friends 
was so wonderful and so distressing, swallowing up 
all the pain of parting with them and with her dear 
native land in one absorbing passion, never once left 
her ! All who knew her feared the reaction of a 
toilsome missionary life upon such high excitement, 
hut it never came. 

When leaving the harbor of Boston, and the blue 
hills of her home and country were fast sinking be- 



MKS. JANE ISABEL WHITE. 73 

hind her, she felt no misgivings, no gloom. "That 
blue line of native land," she wrote to a friend, "is 
engraven indelibly on my memory ; I would not have 
it effaced ; but I saw the last dim outline without any 
regret." The tedious and enervating monotony of 
sea life never affected her spirits. For nearly four 
months the dull routine of ship scenery and employ- 
ments was entered upon with unimpaired relish. 
This triumphant devotion to her chosen work never 
abated, amid all the toils and trials of a new mission- 
ary field in the heart of the Chinese empire. Even 
withering consumption, as it advanced with remorse- 
less steps, could not quench her enthusiasm. 

At length her system, which had been gradually 
sinking under the exhausting influences of a new cli- 
mate and oppressive duties, was invaded by disease 
of a formidable and threatening character. When it 
became apparent that she must sink very quickly to 
the grave, it was suggested to her, in accordance with 
the advice of her physician, that she should return to 
America as the only hope of saving her life. When 
she heard this proposition she burst into tears, and 
said : " She could not bear the idea of leaving the 
field; she came to labor and to die there whenever 
God saw fit to call her." About this time she wrote 
also to her brother, in view of the dark prospect be- 
fore her. She says in conclusion : " I have loved my 
dear Saviour before, and think I have loved him 
and still love him with all my heart; but never did I 



74 THE MISSION CEMETERY. 

know so much of that exhaustless ocean of his love as 
since this affliction has fallen upon me. I am not sorry 
I left America. I am not unwilling to be afflicted to 
any extent, if God will stand by me as he does in this 
time of trial. I love the cause of my Master, and 
earnestly desire the salvation of these perishing mill- 
ions of Chinese. I regard still that day. when I was 
commissioned to come to this field of labor as the 
happiest era in my life. Though cut off in a great 
measure from communication with friends at home, 
I know that many prayers ascend in my behalf and 
for the prosperity of this mission, and it is in answer 
to these fervent prayers that such great blessings and 
comforts are conferred upon me." To another she 
wrote: "I have no hope of recovery; but what of 
that? I know in whom I have believed, and there is 
no reason why I should be cast down. I can see the 
hand of God plainer now than ever in bringing me 
here, though for so short a time. I had much rather 
lay my body here in China than in America." This 
spirit of cheerful and even joyous resignation to the 
will of God continued till the close of life. 

As the spring approached the symptoms of her 
disease became alarmingly worse. Every effort in the 
power of the mission was put forth to arrest it, but all 
in vain. Advice was obtained from an English phy- 
sician in Amoy, to whom an account of her case was 
sent, and the surgeon of an English man-of-war which 
visited the port called to see her. But her system 



MES. JAKE ISABEL WHITE. 75 

was already too weak to respond to the power of 
medicine. Being conscious in March that her re- 
covery was hopeless, she commenced setting her 
house in order. With a calmness that was even won- 
derful, she gave her directions concerning such things 
as she wished attended to after her death, and wrote 
to her nearest friends in view of her approaching dis- 
solution. Her last words to her brother were as 
calm and peaceful as if they concerned the most 
common matter. Her confidence in the Saviour of 
sinners was firm and unshaken. For several weeks 
before her death her mind was so weak that she found 
it difficult to collect her thoughts to engage in prayer, 
but frequently remarked that when she could do this 
she had seasons of rich spiritual enjoyment. A few 
days before she died she was asked if she found any 
difficulty in her weak state to rely upon Christ as her 
Saviour. No, was the reply. Do you feel a satisfac- 
tory assurance that he accepts you ? Yes, for the last 
week especially r , was her reply. 

On the night before her death, when it seemed 
evident she had but a few hours to live, she was in- 
formed that she was in a dying state ; and though for 
weeks she had been able to converse but very little, 
and had been so weak that it was difficult to collect 
her thoughts, she now had a lucid interval in which 
her mind was clear, and she was enabled to bear tes- 
timony to the power of Divine grace in the most clear 
and satisfactory manner. She had wished for a week 



76 THE MISSION CEMETEEY. 

or more, if it could be the will of God, to have a little 
time for clear and collected thought before she was 
called away. Her prayer now seemed to be fully 
answered. The little missionary band to whom she 
had strongly attached herself, and three of whom 
have since gone to meet her, gathered around her 
dying couch, and zealously ministered to every want. 
Steadily the destroyer moved on, his very foot-prints 
began to be visible, and Mrs. "White was told she 
could live but a few hours. She manifested no sur- 
prise, no fear. She asked the privilege of being alone 
with her husband for a little season, before they 
parted to meet on earth no more. 

The sacred privacies of that sweet and awful hour 
we must not invade. A single passage only of that 
high communion we are permitted to contemplate. 
When assured that no one else > could hear what she 
said, the dying saint, drawing her earthly companion 
close to her bosom, delivered her dying charge : " My 
dear husband live for one thing, and one only ; only 
one thing, just one thing. The glory of God ! The 
glory of God!" When asked if she was afraid to die, 
she replied, in a slow, clear, and collected manner : 
" No ! I am not afraid to die ; I am not afraid to 
stand before the judgment-seat. But it is because I 
trust in the Lord Jesus Christ. I felt myself perfectly 
helpless, and I renounced every other dependance, 
and cast myself entirely on Christ, and now I am not 
afraid to die," 



M ES. JANE ISABEL WHITE. 77 

It was late in the evening, and all the missionary 
brethren stood once more around her bed. She 
thanked them for their great kindness to her, espe- 
cially during her last sickness. She gave each of 
them some solemn parting message, and, in the pres- 
ence of them all, and almost with the disinterested- 
ness of an angel, said to her husband : " Mr. White, 
I beg of you, not for my sake, but for the sake of 
these poor heathen, that you control your grief, and 
avoid giving way to your feelings when I am gone, 
for at least three months, and let them see how Jesus 
can support his people in times of trial." And then 
turning to the little missionary company, she request- 
ed all, as they became able to speak the language, to 
tell the people, as her dying testimony, that Jesus 
can make his people happy when they die. Her 
attachment to the cause of missions burned to the 
last. It was obviously her "ruling passion strong 
in death." It swallowed up the love of friends and 
of life. Amid the absorbing interests and mysteries 
of a dying moment, she would press even the anguish 
of parting and the desolations of the mourner into 
the means of its advancement. 

She lingered through the night in a partially 
unconscious state, and about eight o'clock in the 
morning of May 25, in China, but about seven o'clock 
in the evening of May 24, American time, she fell 
asleep in Jesus, aged twenty-six years. As she 
ceased to breathe a single tear dropped from each 



78 THE MISSION CEMETERY. 

eye and rolled down her cheek; but all was silent, and 
the revelations of the blessed world must interpret 
the significance of these silent tears. Perhaps they 
only started from their fountains in response to the 
following portion of one of Luther's hymns, the fail- 
ing sounds of which fell on her dying ear as she 
passed away, but to which she could make no reply 
in words : 

" Not in mine innocence I trust, 

I bow before thee in the dust; 

And through my Saviour's blood alone, 

I look for rnercy at Thy throne. 

" I leave the world without a tear, 
Save for the friends that linger here ; 
To heal their sorrows, Lord, descend, 
And to the friendless prove a friend." 

The next day, in the afternoon, a sermon was 
preached before the little missionary company that 
assembled to attend the solemnities of the first Chris- 
tian funeral in the city of Fuh Chau. Rev. J. D. 
Collins, the colleague of Mr. White, and who was 
himself the next to fall, improved the solemn occa- 
sion. Toward evening her remains, in a plain coffin, 
suspended from bamboo poles, and borne on the 
shoulders of four Chinamen, were conveyed to a 
beautiful and sequestered spot on the south side of 
the river, and deposited in what has since become 
the "Mission Cemetery." There, under a wide- 



MRS. JANE ISABEL WHITE. 79 

spreading olive-tree, deep in the soil of that land she 
loved so well, lie the mortal remains of our dear 
departed sister, peacefully awaiting the "resurrection 
of the just." The small and stricken procession was 
followed by a curious crowd of noisy and stupid 
heathen, who mourned not because they knew not 
their loss. 

Such zeal and devotion, brief as may be their 
career, are the choicest legacies which can be left to 
the cause of missions. These missionary graves are 
sacred. In the language of Mr. Collins, in his touch- 
ing address at the funeral of this fallen missionary, 
"This missionary field cannot now be abandoned. 
Her grave cannot be left as the only testimony to the 
power of religion in this heathen city. God will yet 
have these hills and these plains resounding with 
praises to Immanuel. The olive branch that waves 
over her grave shall extend its benign influence, 
speaking of peace and good-will to men, till the 
millions of China are converted to God!" Such 
examples dignify our common humanity, and shed 
new value and beauty upon our Christian hopes. 
The reality and power of the grace of God are placed 
before us in new vividness. To use the beautiful 
language of Rev. Mr. Hickok, a former pastor of this 
beloved sister, and from whose memorial of her we 
have already largely drawn, " The worth of the soul 
and the nearness of eternity impress us with extraor- 
dinary solemnity in the light of such a life as that of 



80 THE MISSION CEMETERY. 

Mrs. White. She trampled upon difficulties ; she 
courted self-sacrifice, and counted not her own life 
dear. No pleasure could fill her soul like the angelic 
luxury of doing good. No enjoyment could elevate 
and thrill her very being like the privilege of devo- 
ting herself to the welfare of the dying heathen. 
This master-desire of her heart was gratified, and she 
rejoices, we cannot doubt, with all an angel's emo- 
tion, that she was permitted to die for the cause of 
missions. 

"Although she did not survive her preparatory 
work ; although she was not permitted to utter a sin- 
gle saving truth, nor unfold one Gospel promise to 
the perishing Chinese, over whom her heart yearned 
so intensely, yet she lived not in vain. Her martyr 
spirit shall be a perpetual source of missionary 
power. She ' being dead, yet speaketh.' While her 
memory lives in that crowded Valley of the Min, 
evangelical labors there shall be quickened with a 
holier devotion. Many a tired laborer may hereafter 
stir up his flagging energies by a visit to her grave. 
Many a chafed and weary brother, ready to sink 
under the burden of missionary life in that dark em- 
pire, perchance shall be thrilled with loftier heroism 
as he recalls the modest activity, the quiet enthu- 
siasm, the quenchless ardor, and triumphant end of 
Jane Isabel White, of Fuh Chau." 



REV. WILLIAM L. RICHARDS. 

AMERICAN BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS. 



By Rev. C. C. BALDWIN, 

MISSIONARY OF THE A. B. C. F. M. AT FUH CHACT. 



tyo. William f . f ic|ark 



AMEEICAN BOAED OF COMMISSIONEES. 



The Eev. William L. Kichards was the son of a 
missionary. His father, the Eev. William Kichards, 
was one of the earliest members of the Sandwich 
Island Mission, having arrived at Lahaina in May, 
1823. The subject of this sketch was born at Lahaina, 
Sandwich Islands, December 3, 1823, and was the 
eldest of a family of eight children. He resided in 
the islands with his parents until the fall of 1836, 
when he embarked with his parents and five brothers 
and sisters for the United States. During this period 
of thirteen years he was most seduously guarded 
against contact with idolatry. This was through the 
wise management and complete domestic arrange- 
ments of his parents. He often spoke of this fact 
with interest, and accorded to these dear parents the 
highest meed of praise for their persevering efforts, 
which, through God's blessing, secured the almost 
perfect isolation of their children from the debasing 
influences of heathenism. Without was thick dark- 
ness, but they had " light in their dwelling." It. was 
under such blessed culture, stimulated and hallowed 



84 THE MISSION CEMETERY. 

by a father's and a mother's prayers, that the mind 
and character of our brother were molded in their 
first unfoldings. 

Up to this period, also, he received all his instruc- 
tion, with but one slight exception, at home, there 
being at that time no other mode of instruction for 
missionary children. The Eev. Mr. Spaulding, a 
near neighbor, for a few months previous to his 
leaving for the United States heard his recitations in 
Latin, while his father instructed him in Hebrew. 
From a mere child his fondness for reading and 
study was great, and having his father's large library 
at command, he treasured up much useful and valu- 
able knowledge, so that upon his arrival in the United 
States he was considered well prepared to enter col- 
lege, which nothing but his extreme youth prevented 
him from doing immediately. While in his twelfth 
year, during a revival among the mission children at 
the islands, he indulged a hope that he had met with 
a change of heart ; but after he entered college he 
gave up his hope and confidence, though he con- 
tinued extremely sensitive and thoughtful on the sub- 
ject of religion. 

His parents, after having provided for the comfort 
and education of their children, soon bade them fare- 
well, and with the true missionary spirit returned to 
the Sandwich Islands, leaving their loved ones be- 
hind. A severe trial was this to both parents and 
children. William felt the separation keenly, and 



REV. WILLIAM L. RICHARDS. 85 

often relieved his young heart of its burden of affec- 
tion and its longings for communion with parents. 
It will not be out of place in this " missionary me- 
morial," to insert one of the letters of this lonely mis- 
sionary boy to his parents far away in the islands of 
the sea. Under date of August 24, 1839, he writes : 
"My Dear Parents, — I now take up my pen to 
write you, dear father and mother, again. But when 
I think of you I feel homesick to think that we are 
separated from each other by such a distance as 
eighteen thousand miles ; to think I cannot visit home 
in vacations, as other students do. Yet I feel glad 
to think I may see you again in three or four years. 
In two years more, if nothing happens, I shall finish 
my collegiate education. I shall be at that time about 
eighteen years old. But I will not look forward, for 
all my hopes may be cut off as were my brother's. I 
will look back to those pleasant days we had at La- 
haina. How happy we were then ! "We never 
thought how hard it was to part with home. No one 
scarcely imagined it. I could not then think what a 
hard thing it would be to have no parents to watch 
over me. Now I know, and feel it too. Every little 
thing like home reminds me of it. I presume, yes I 
know, that almost every thing you see reminds you 
of us. You anxiously look for something from each 
of us on the arrival of every vessel from the United 
States. And when you receive the letter how joy- 
ful you must feel, though at the same time you fear 



86 THE MISSION CEMETERY. 

lest there should be some sad news in it. I am just 
so. I have not received a letter from yon for six 
months ; but I expect one every day. I received 
mother's journal of your voyage out, which was much 
worse than ours to America. I have not received 
many letters from my brothers and sisters, and have 
not seen them either since I left them." 

Same letter, September 12th : " Again my thoughts 
revert to home, to its happy scenes. It seems to me 
now as if I never could forget home. Every day that 
passes by brings new recollections of home to my 
mind, and only increases my desire to see you. I 
can, by my memory, see home as plainly as if I had 
seen it but an hour ago. I do not feel as happy as I 

have been, though I am not unhappy On 

the subject of religion I feel still as I have for a long 
time. Once in a while I feel serious, and make good 
resolutions, but I soon forget them all. Whenever I 
think of you I feel sad, because I know that you are 
sad on my account, and now I shall feel still worse 
whenever I think of the Sandwich Islands, and re- 
member that even those whom I have looked upon 
as heathen are praying for me. ISTo one ever speaks 
to me on religious subjects here. I have not heard 
anything from my brothers and sisters." 

It is a sad thought that this loving young mission- 
ary orphan was never permitted to see that en- 
deared mother again. We shall see in his further 
history the rising of another love that triumphed over 



REV. WILLIAM L. RICHARDS. 87 

this, and led him far off in another direction from his 
beloved island home. 

Soon after his arrival in this country he was re- 
ceived into the family of Rev. Dr. Brown, president 
of Jefferson College, at Cannonsburgh, in Pennsyl- 
vania, who kindly offered to act as guardian, and de- 
fray his expenses through college. Soon after this he 
lost his best friend in the death of Mrs. Brown, who 
had taken him under her special care and guidance. 
He entered the college at Cannonsburgh in the fall 
of 1838, and was received into the Sophomore class. 
Here he remained for two years, during which he was 
not only making rapid progress in his collegiate 
studies, but was rapidly passing over into a clear 
and deep religious experience. The deep religious 
working of his mind, and the process through which 
he entered into the Christian life, are well furnished 
to us by his letters to his parents. 

He writes Dec. 3d, 1839 : " Dear father and moth- 
er, I suppose you are now thinking of me on my birth- 
day ; perhaps weeping to think that I cannot say, 
' My God, thou art the guide of my youth ;' to think 
that sixteen years have passed away and I have not 
given myself to Him to whom I was dedicated in my 
infancy. Yet though I know all this, though I have 
enjoyed privileges superior to those which many have, 
still I have not sought Christ as my refuge. But 
think not, dear father and mother, that I do not think 
at all about religion. O no. Not till I forget my 

6 



88 THE MISSION CEMETERY. 

parents and my home, not till every trace of them is 
swept from my mind, (and will that ever be?) can I 
forget the religious instructions I have received. 
Whenever I think of home, they rise into my mind, 
and often when gayety is pictured on my countenance, 
something else than gayety is in my heart. I feel 
very unhappy generally, though I appear to others to 
be very cheerful and perhaps happy. But who can 
be happy without religion ? ~No one. Then why does 
not that consideration alone lead me to give up my 
heart to God? is the question which rises in my mind. 
I cannot answer it." 

In the autumn of 1840, under the advice of friends, 
he entered the University of ]STew-York, but only 
remained in connection with this school during the 
winter, and in the following April returned to Can- 
nonsburg, where he graduated at the commencement 
of 1841, being eighteen years of age. While at the 
university, and subsequently at the college, his mind 
was still deeply exercised on the subject of personal 
religion, and soon after his graduation we find him 
entering into the Christian's hope. In February, 
1841, he writes to his parents : " Often I think I 
will give up my heart to God now, and sometimes I 
think I have done it; but all my resolutions are vain. 
Often I think of you and your instructions ; they will 
never be forgotten." About this time occurred the 
death of Lucy Thurston, a precious missionary child 
who had been his companion and playmate in the 



KEV. WILLIAM L. EICHARDS. 89 

islands, and who had only returned to the States to 
die. This affected him deeply. 

In March, 1841, we find him rejoicing in the 
Lord. He writes : " Dear father and mother, I 
hope there has been a change in my feelings. I hope 
that now I can look up to God as my Father, to 
Christ as my Saviour and Redeemer. How strange 
that I should never have embraced him as my Sa- 
viour; that I should not instantly have embraced 
Christ on such terms as he has offered in the Gospel. 

how strange ! and yet it is so. How true it is that 
the carnal heart is enmity against God ! O how strange 
that I should have refused Christ when he had so 
much love as to die for me ! I hope it will be my 
employ forever to serve him and his cause ; that now 

1 may be the humble instrument in God's hands of 
turning many to God. I hope there is about to be a 
revival in the university soon. Prayer meetings are 
held every morning. O that I may be able to do 
something for Him who has done so much for me ! 
Love, infinite love, shall be my theme. O may I ever 
keep by Christ, humbly looking up to him, for if I 
do not have his guidance I shall fall away. I hope 
that Christ has plucked me as a brand from the burn- 
ing. If I keep by Christ and trust in him, I know, I 
am sure, yes I am sure, that I shall not fall away." 

During the summer of this year, 1841, he united 
with the Church at Cannonsburg. He writes again: 
" Since I wrote last I have joined the Church; my 



90 THE MISSION CEMETERY. 

life is devoted to the service of Christ. Doubt3 often 
seize me, but still I hope in Christ. I trust that God 
will lead me in the right way. He alone is able to 
keep me. Often I reflect how I have sinned against 
God in grieving his Holy Spirit, and the love of Him 
who is greater than all others. May I find my 
greatest delight in endeavoring to love and serve 
him !" 

After graduating he became private tutor in the 
family of Mr. "William Buchanan, of Woodington, 
near Wheeling, Virginia, where he remained a little 
over a year. He then came to New- York to meet 
his father, who was again on a visit to the United 
States. The greater part of the year following he 
spent in traveling with his father, and entered the 
Union Theological Seminary at New York in October, 
1843. It would have been his choice not to com- 
mence his theological studies so soon, but the Provi- 
dence of God seemed to order it otherwise. At this 
time his health was excellent. He made his home 
with his uncle, then living in Brooklyn, and was able 
to walk daily to and from the seminary, making a 
distance of about seven miles. In Brooklyn he be- 
came an active and efficient member of the " South 
Presbyterian Church," under the pastoral charge of 
Eev. S. T. Spear. This Church took much interest 
in him, and afforded him much pecuniary aid while 
in the seminary, and furnished him many necessary 
articles for his outfit when he sailed for China. The 



REV. WILLIAM L. RICHARDS. 91 

affection and interest which existed between them 
developed itself in a correspondence between himself 
and the Church, carried on through their pastor. 

Mr. Richards was a missionary from his youth up. 
Born of missionary parents, on missionary ground, 
and receiving his first lessons and experiences of life 
in the midst of heathenism, the purpose of serving 
God in the great missionary enterprise was among 
the first purposes of his young heart. It pleased God 
to lead him early to the experience of religion, and 
his growth in grace was rapid. During a revival of 
religion among the students at the seminary, he made 
a new dedication of himself to God, and, in company 
with five others, consecrated himself fully to the mis- 
sionary work. Hitherto he had been looking toward 
the Sandwich Islands as the field of his future labors; 
but at this time he gave himself up to go wherever 
the great Head of missions might lead the way. The 
process by which his heart was turned toward China, 
instead of the islands of the Pacific, is interesting, 
and is fully traced for us in his letters to his parents 
on this important subject. 

In a letter of November 3, 1846, he writes : " I 
drop now this subject, and turn to another of more 
importance. I wish 1 had more time to write upon 
it. In my last letter I spoke briefly on the subject 
of my future field of labor. I feel that I ought to 
speak more freely on this point. I doubt not that it 
will be painful to you, a trial of your feelings, a disap- 



92 THE MISSION CEMETERY. 

pointment of your cherished hopes, that I should 
select, or rather that I should be directed to auy 
other field than my own home in the isles of the sea. 
I dare not dwell long on this, for I think I can form 
some conception of what your feelings would be in 
such a case ; nor can I trust the influence of my nat- 
ural feelings on the calmer and more unbiased decis- 
ions of my mind. But, my dear parents, I think I 
know you well enough to believe that, however try- 
ing it may be, you will ever rejoice in the will of 
God. I have, my dear parents, committed my way 
to the Lord, both in trust and in consecration of self 
to his service, and in submission to his will. The 
Lord will guide me. He will lead me for his own 
name's sake. If I go to the islands of the sea, it will 
be because it is his will. If to China, or to India, or 
to Africa, his hand will have led me thither. The 
consciousness of his guidance and presence shall 
strengthen and encourage me, though I be called to 
walk through the valley of the shadow of death. 

" You will ask me how have my feelings become 
changed? I answer briefly. The Lord, of his free 
mercy, brought me to the knowledge of his love, 
through faith in him, as I had never known it before. 
He led me to cast myself into his hands, to be fash- 
ioned and guided by his will. He led me then to 
consecrate myself to his service, with a consecration 
unknown before. The world was the field of his 
service before me ; no longer merely one spot in it. 



KEV. WILLIAM L. RICHARDS. 93 

I had looked upon the Sandwich Islands as the field 
of my future labors, as a matter of course, because 
the son of missionaries there; because it was their 
desire that I should go there ; because those that 
educated me wished me to go there, and because I 
could not excuse myself from going. Such a decision 
must be reviewed. The question came up, 'Are 
you willing to go anywhere the Lord may call?' This 
is the question I am called to decide. When I look 
upon other parts of the world, whose necessities are 
far greater, and whose call for laborers is louder than 
from the Sandwich Islands, I feel there is a weighty 
reason here why my life should be engaged in labor 
elsewhere. I know that they still need more laborers 
there; but where is the part of the world where there 
is not some destitution? and it is far, far greater in 
China, in India, in Africa." 

After mentioning two or three minor reasons for 
turning his thoughts to the more destitute portions 
of the earth, he writes : " It is the desire of my heart 
to serve my Saviour in the best way I can. The 
Lord has put these desires in my breast. He has 
awakened my mind to this subject, and directed my 
attention specially to it. He has led me to count no 
sacrifice, no trial, no labor too great. May not these 
awakenings be the direction of the Lord, pointing me 
to some place of more trial, and where more sacrifice 
is demanded, and more labor required? In these 
days, when so few are ready to devote themselves to 



94 THE MISSION CEMETERY. 

the service of Christ in the more difficult and trying 
situations, may not that readiness which the Lord has 
given me be the token of his will? My mind is now 
inclined to China more than to any other field. It is 
one where laborers are most needed ; the language I 
think I could learn with less difficulty than many 
experience ; the climate, I believe, would agree with 
my health better than a warmer one ; the field for 
doing good seems greater there than elsewhere, and 
if more trials are to be endured there I rejoice in 
them." 

Such were the reasonings, and such the spirit 
which determined the course to be pursued by this 
young missionary. He offered himself to the Amer- 
ican Board as a missionary, to be sent to whatever 
field presented the most urgent claim for laborers. 
In the spring of 1847 he received license to preach, 
and during that summer visited his relatives and 
friends in the United States. He soon received 
notice from the Prudential Committee that he had 
been selected for their new mission at Fuh Chau, 
China. The appointment was accepted, and he again 
wrote to his parents. As will be seen by his letter, 
no answer to previous communications on this subject 
had yet been received from his parents. In May, 
1847, he writes : 

"It has been a great trial to me to act on so 
important a subject, and one so much affecting you, 
without any certain knowledge as to what vour views 



EEV. WILLIAM L. RICHARDS. 95 

and feelings are. Yet the more I reflect on the sub- 
ject and the decision made, the more I feel con- 
vinced you will approve the course I have taken, 
and the decision the committee has made. I feel 
that there is much of a trial involved in this change 
of plans, even more than I at first conceived. Some- 
times I am almost ready to shrink, so great do the 
difficulties and trials appear. I have no hesitation 
in my conviction of duty, nor do I feel any regret 
that this is my appointed field of labor ; yet I trem- 
ble in view of the difficulties, and feel that God alone 
can sustain me. I believe that I can fully trust in 
him. so long as I make his service the object of my 
existence. You will be ready to ask, ' Shall we not 
see you again V I cannot but hope that some way 
will be provided by which I may see you once more. 
Some of my friends have suggested stopping at the 
islands on my way to China. I see no other way. I 
trust this will be brought about. I give myself little 
anxiety on the subject, but wait the openings of 
Providence. It would be a great, a very great trial 
to me, if I could not enjoy this hope. Much more 
would it be for you, my dear parents. Perhaps this 
change in my destination will be too much of a trial 
for you ; but I trust you will be enabled to bear it, 
and even to rejoice in it." 

This last hope of the young missionary, that he 
might be permitted again to see his parents, and go 
forth from their last embrace upon his life-work, was 



$6 THE MISSION CEMETERY. 

not to be realized. A previous voyage to the Sand- 
wich Islands was impossible ; and Mr. Richards, who 
had not seen his beloved mother since he was thirteen 
years old, must endure this severest trial of all. He 
did endure it without a misgiving, and went forth 
leaning, not on the arm of a father or mother, but 
upon the strong arm of God. "We cannot but pause 
in admiration before this exhibition of moral hero- 
ism. There is something truly sublime in the devo- 
tion of this young man ; something that speaks of the 
Divine in this resistless purpose, this holy consecra- 
tion, this love for Christ and his cause, transcending 
every earthly love! 

His father did not live to read his numerous letters 
on this subject. He saw the first only, and seemed 
disappointed at this decision of his son ; but before 
the others came, announcing that the step had actual- 
ly been taken, he had finished his course and gone to 
his reward. 

The time of his embarkation was near at hand. A 
few weeks were spent in visiting and parting with 
his friends. In October he was ordered to be in 
readiness to sail by the first opportunity. His ordi- 
nation took place on the 14th of that month, at Mr. 
Spear's church, in Brooklyn, Rev. Dr. Cox preaching 
the sermon. Two or three days previous to his de- 
parture, his brothers and sisters, then in the United 
States, met at Brooklyn to bid him farewell. His 
last conversations with some of them will never be 



EEV. WILLIAM L. KICHAEDS. 97 

forgotten. He seemed to be impressed with the 
conviction that the} r should never meet again. He 
left Brooklyn on the 4th of November and pro- 
ceeded to Philadelphia, where he received his in- 
structions, and from whence he sailed on the 11th of 
November, 1847, in the ship Valparaiso, in company 
with Rev. S. Cummings and wife and the family of 
the writer. 

We have before us the breathings of his 
last farewell, coming from on board the Valpa- 
raiso : 

"I have prayed much for the guidance of God, 
and trust that my prayers will be answered, though 
it is in free grace alone I trust. God is a righteous 
God, and will take some way to reward those who 
fear him and who put their trust in him ; nor will 
he suffer those who, with proper anxiety and care, 
are exercising wisdom, to be no better off than those 
who care little or nothing for themselves. The 
longer I live I see the necessity of holiness and 
wisdom ; and blessed be God for his discipline, which 
elevates our character and conforms us to his own 
glorious character. The longer I live the more I 
see that trust in God and faith in Christ imply the 
exercise of wisdom and a holy walk. Holy, holy, 
holy is the Lord, and righteous are all his judgments. 
But now farewell. God is my fortress and my 
refuge, as I embark on the deep. He will be with 
me and guide my steps. Farewell, my dear parents ; 



98 THE MISSION CEMETERY. 

farewell, my dear sisters, in bonds which can never 
be broken." 

The voyage, though long, was very pleasant. 
Captain Lockwood kindly furnished every facility 
not only for our personal comfort, but for unre- 
stricted religious intercourse with the seamen when 
off duty, and for preaching on deck on the Sabbath. 
Mr. Richards engaged with much interest in frequent 
consultations with others respecting the spiritual wel- 
fare of the seamen, and plans for preaching, conversa- 
tion, and tract distribution. One of his discourses 
has left an indelible impression on my mind. It was 
founded on the parable of the prodigal son; and 
perhaps it is not too much to hope that he has 
already met, or will yet meet, in the mansions of 
glory, some poor souls saved through the instru- 
mentality of his preaching and prayers. He began 
his work as a missionary on board that vessel; and 
in view of the exceeding brevity of his career on 
heathen ground, how sweet the thought that, through 
God's grace, he may have received some of his own 
countrymen as seals of his ministry. The good man's 
tears, and prayers, and efforts for Christ are never 
lost. 

Among the recollections of the voyage is one that 
I cannot omit. We frequently met, three names 
only, in this dear brother's state-room for reading, 
conference, and prayer. They were, indeed, most 
precious seasons, when heart answered heart, and 



REV. WILLIAM L. RICHARDS. 99 

our souls burned within us while Jesus revealed him- 
self and conversed with us. And thus was cemented 
between us a tender and sympathizing friendship, 
which knew no diminution, and which death even 
has failed to sever. Two have been "taken" to 
glory, and one " left ;" but the sacred bond remains, 
and its attractive power will be felt till the blessed 
reunion occurs. 

Arriving at his field of labor May 7, 1848, Mr. 
Bichards commenced at once the study of the lan- 
guage, and pursued it with untiring assiduity. One 
has remarked : " His heart was in his work, and he 
labored, perhaps, beyond his strength." Another 
says : " He undoubtedly confined himself too assid- 
uously to the study of the language." To this I may 
add, that he was a person of remarkable prudence 
and judgment ; and had he been fully aware of the 
fatal tendencies of his physical constitution, he would 
doubtless have spared himself for the sake of the 
cause he loved so dearly. Among his earliest efforts 
was that of securing a place for the public proclama- 
tion of the Gospel to the heathen. At that time the 
suspicions and prejudices of the government and 
people touching the movements of missionaries were 
greater than they now are, so that the fears and 
hopes of our brother were long in suspense. But at 
length he succeeded in renting a deep, narrow room, 
at an advanced post toward the city proper. In this 
humble place, repaired at trifling expense to suit his 



100 THE MISSION CEMETEKY. 

purpose, he continued to proclaim the precious Gos- 
pel till his brief career was interrupted by alarming 
illness. 

In September, 1850, about three years after his 
departure from the United States, he was attacked 
with hemorrhage of the lungs. At first the symptoms 
were so slight that he judged his ailment to be only 
in the throat. His friends, while sympathizing with 
him in his hopes, were much alarmed, and strove to 
fortify their minds against the depressing effects of a 
loss which seemed at once so imminent and so great. 
The real nature of his disease soon became apparent, 
and his physician recommended a sea voyage as the 
only probable means of prolonging his life. 

He embarked for Canton November 12, 1850, 
amid the tears and prayers of his afflicted brethren 
and sisters in Fuh Chau. On his way he spent some 
time at Amoy and Hong Kong, and reached Canton 
January 3, 1851. He was strongly advised by phy- 
sicians to take a long sea voyage. He embarked for 
the United States on the ship " Sea," Captain Spring, 
in company with the Rev. George Loomis, formerly 
seamen's chaplain at Canton, and finally bade fare- 
well to the shores of China March 5th. Just three 
months from this date, far from his missionary friends 
and his dear relatives, his spirit took its flight from 
the bosom of the deep to the throne of God. 

The last words of a friend are precious ; the views 
of a Christian in prospect of death are deeply in- 



REV. WILLIAM L. RICHARDS. 101 

but there is something peculiarly touch- 
ing and soul-subduing in the language of a young 
Christian, when his earthly hopes are suddenly cut 
off and he girds himself for his last conflict. Let us 
sit for a few moments at the feet of this young Chris- 
tian missionary as he gradually approaches the verge 
of life. Let us hear what he says of himself, of 
others, of death, of God and Christ. 

The following are brief extracts from his letters to 
his missionary brethren and sisters at Fuh Chau : 

" Amoy, November 19, 1850. — As to health during 
my stay on the lorcha, my lungs seemed to be much 
strengthened ; my cough was only in occasional 
turns, as it was frequently at Fuh Chau. I think I 
have coughed rather more since coming on shore. 
I have been speaking of myself all this time ; but my 
thoughts turn constantly to you. I feel anxious to 
hear from or of you. You and yours have my con- 
stant and most sincere prayers." 

" A?noy, November 23, 1850. — I need not say I 
have been waiting anxiously to hear from you. 
Yesterday morning my anxiety was increased by 
learning for the first time of the murder of our be- 
loved Brother Fast. We felt glad to hear that it 
did not occur in his own house, or in his walks 
among the people. Yet even as it did occur, it pre- 
sents a dark, fearful view of the character of those 
among whom you live, and shows the insecurity of 
our lives, except when the passions of wicked men 



102 THE MISSION CEMETEKY. 

are restrained of God. That week of which you 
speak was indeed a trying week to you, one whose 
scenes must deeply affect your feelings. For Brother 
Fast we cannot mourn; but for his fellow-laborers, 
for the missionary cause among you, for those who 
sent him forth with many hopes. These are afflicted, 
but not by One who loves to afflict. The Author we 
know, we trust in, and sorrow not as those who have 
no hope. My sympathies are with you in all that 
passes among you. I have rejoiced where you have 
had occasion to rejoice, and am afflicted with you in 
other events of God's providence." 

" Hong Kong, December 16, 1850. — My Deak Sis- 
ter , I trust that by the good providence of God 

you are now restored to your usual health, so that 
I may think of you not as on that long-to-be -re- 
membered morning of parting, but as you once 
moved around in the family circle. I need not say my 
thoughts have often turned to you, nor that you have 
been constantly remembered at the throne of grace, 
that 'mercy-seat' where ' friends, though sundered 
far,' by ' faith may meet.' Since I have learned how 
near God has come to you, how he has touched the 
tender feelings of a parent's heart, I have felt more 
than ever your need of heavenly sources of consola- 
tion. Shall I ask, 'Is it well with thee?' O how 
hard sometimes to answer ! But the darkest afflic- 
tions are the best to work grace in us. Have you 
not found such good from affliction as to be able 



REV. WILLIAM L. RICHARDS. 103 

from a warm heart to thank God for it ? Who that 
has experienced its benefits would be without it? 
But what force is yet in those words of the apostle : 
'i\"o chastening for the present seemeth joyous, but 
grievous !' You will inquire after my health. I 
think I am safe in saying that I have, since leaving 
Fuh Chau, improved greatly in all respects, excepting 
my cough. I cannot judge whether this is better or 
worse ; it is not as troublesome as often at Fuh Chau, 
but is more settled and uniform." 

" Hong Hong, December 20, 1850. — How much you 
need to have strong hold on heavenly sources of con- 
solation ; how much the meek submissive spirit that 
will say 'Even so, Father, for so it seemed good in 
thy sight.' I. know something how dark and sudden 
afflictions can overwhelm the soul ; I trust you know 
far less and have had far more grace to meet them. 
From having felt my own need, from having known 
the darkness which the suggestions of Satan and a 
sinful heart can bring into the soul, I judge of others. 
Though I dare not impute to them the same weak- 
ness with myself, I always feel that none but God 
may know the afflictions of the afflicted, and I pray 
for them as needing far more than human eye can 
see. Be assured always of my kindest remembrance 
of you and yours." 

" Canton, January 15, 1851. — I regret on your ac- 
count to say [the underscoring is my own, to mark a 
beautiful feature in his feelings toward us at Fuh 



104 THE MISSION CEMETEEY. 

Chau. — C. C. B.] that my health has been much 
poorer since I last wrote. On the 28th of last month 
I had a return of the hemorrhage from the lungs. It 
occurred during the night, and without any immedi- 
ately exciting cause. Since then my lungs have 
been more readily affected by change of air, by cold, 
etc. ; my cough and expectoration increased, and my 
strength somewhat reduced. The trip up here (from 
H. K.) was quite severe upon me, but since my 
arrival I have improved considerably. I am not, 
however, as well as before the relapse. I still 
find pleasure in resting in the hands of a heavenly 
Father myself and all these matters. My hopes 
in Him have been the same through all the 
changes which have passed upon me since I was 
with you." 

" Shvp i Sea? near Hong Kong, March 5, 1851. — 
The captain of the vessel having changed his plans 
since I closed a letter to , I have a few mo- 
ments more for writing. We left Whampoa (below 
Canton) to go down to Hong Kong for a crew, be- 
fore setting sail for the United States. Information 
just comes that they are now on the way to the ves- 
sel, so in an hour or two we shall probably be able 
to say i Bound for New- York.' You will hear from 

my letter to of my favorable prospects. Truly 

God has prospered me. You all have my constant 
kind remembrance. I hope that I may yet be per- 
mitted to meet you. But now I enter upon my long 



EEV. WILLI AM L. EICHAEDS. 105 

departure from these shores, so farewell, dear brother 
and sister. Affectionately yours. 

" W. L. KlCHARDS." 

The following unfinished letter I copy entire. It 
was probably interrupted by extreme weakness, and 
seems to contain the last words which he penned with 
his own hand to one of his Fuh Chau friends. 

"Ship 'Sea? April 17, 1851. — My Dear Sister , 

I am mindful of my promise to write you, though 
I was not able to send letters ashore at Angier. 
Neither did my health permit me to write, nor did 
any suitable opportunity for sending ashore occur 
when we passed the place. I bade adieu to Fuh 
Chau brethren and sisters while near the harbor of 
Hong Kong, on the morning of March 5th. It was 
not till evening that we had sufficient wind to bear us 
on our course. For a few days we had a fine strong 
breeze, then ensued a long tedious spell of calms, 
light winds, and hot weather. I lost strength under 
this very rapidly, and became weaker than when I left 
Fuh Chau. Then when we came into cooler latitudes, 
with the south-east trades blowing fresh, my lungs 
were not able to bear the change. I suffered then so 
much from oppression in breathing, difficulty of raising 
phlegm from the lungs, pains in the chest, and various 
symptoms of extreme weakness, that it seemed as if 
my course on earth might soon be closed. However, 
by the mercy of God, I have had some improvement 



106 THE MISSION CEMETEEY. 

of health, since for five or six days past I have im- 
proved slightly each day. I am able to walk very 
little, nor can I go out much on deck on account of 
the wind ; but I am able to sit up most of the day, 
read considerably, and to day feel mental vigor 
enough to attempt writing. Our progress has been 
very slow. We have experienced so much of calms, 
light winds, or variable or contrary winds, as much 
to protract the length of the passage. From the 
difficulty a sick man experiences in finding modes to 
spend time, you may well judge that time passes 
away somewhat heavily; but in all my pains and 
trials I endeavor to remember the hand that inflicts, 
and forbear murmuring thought." 

On the same sheet Mr. Loomis wrote as follows : 
"At sea, June 3d. East longitude 1°, south latitude 
18°. (I write at the dictation of Brother Richards. 
George Loomis.") 

" Our progress has been long and tedious since I 
took up my pen. My disease has increased with 
considerable rapidity. I am now confined to my bed, 
unable scarcely to eat anything. I have become so 
weak that I am not able to write you now. I deem 
myself near my fast-approaching end, and ere I de- 
part I would send my kind remembrances to you all 
at Fuh Chau. I feel that I can trust all to the will 
of God, although it is a trial no more to see you with 
whom I have labored so pleasantly ; and it is a very 
great trial to give up the hope of seeing any more my 



EEV. WILLIAM L. RICHARDS. 107 

dear, dear mother. Yet the approach of death is to 
nie a matter of rejoicing. I know that God lias all 
power to raise me up, and he may spare me a while 
longer ; but under my present circumstances I must 
bid you all a long kind farewell, wishing that you 
may have the support of the Holy Spirit in your 
labors of love. My last words to all the friends at 
Fuh Chau." 

Mr. Loomis then adds : " Before inclosing the * last 
words ' of our dear Brother Richards, I write a few 
lines at his request. He has been constantly failing 
since he left Hong Kong, and in all human probabil- 
ity will not live to reach his native land. He is so 
weak that he cannot raise himself up in his bed. His 
appetite is gone. He has given up all hope of re- 
covery. His trust is in God. He told me on Sun- 
day (June 1st) that he would like to live to see his 
mother once more, for her sake more than his own ; 
that he should rejoice when the hour of his release 
should come. "We had an unusually long and stormy 
passage around the Cape. During this time he seemed 
to fail very fast. The weather now is most delight- 
ful and the sea very smooth. Still he fails. Yet it is 
a matter of great joy that he seems so resigned to the 
will of God, that he reposes with so much confidence 
in the Saviour, and entertains so strong a hope of a 
blissful immortality. Having been associated so long 
and intimately with Brother Richards, I can fully 
sympathize with you in your loss, and can only com- 



108 THE MISSION CEMETERY. 

mend you to God and the grace of our Lord Jesus 

Christ, praying that in God's good time we all may 

meet our brother in our Father's house above. I am 

your sympathizing brother, 

"George Loomis." 

On the day subsequent to the date of the above, 
June 4th, he dictated his last words to his mother and 
other near relatives. I must not invade the sacred 
sanctuary of home, the blessed retreat of domestic 
love, by copying those words. Neither is this nec- 
essary. It is easy to imagine what sentiments of 
affection would rise spontaneously from such a heart 
as that of our sainted brother. As a son, as a brother, 
he deeply loved the mother, brothers, and sisters who 
were left to mourn his early death. His "last words " 
breathe love and sympathy for them all, an irrepress- 
ible anxiety for their spiritual welfare, and a hope 
of meeting them above. " To all I must say farewell. 
There is hope that we may meet in the morning of the 
resurrection and enjoy together a blissful eternity." 

In a letter written on the day following, Mr. Loo- 
mis describes the closing scenes in the life of this dear 
missionary : 

"At Sea, south latitude 16° 22', west longitude 4° 24') 
Near St. Helena, June 5, 1851. f 

" To the Brethren at Fuh Chau. — I feel it to be 

my duty, though a painful one, to announce to you 

that this afternoon we committed the remains of our 



REV. WILLIAM L. RICHARDS. 109 

dear Brother Richards to the deep, there to rest till 
the sea shall give up its dead. This morning about 
ten o'clock he breathed his last. A solemn sadness 
pervades our ship. I mourn a brother in Christ de- 
parted. The tears will flow, yet I do not call in 
question God's goodness even in this afflictive dispen- 
sation. The Lord gave and the Lord hath taken 
away ; blessed be the name of the Lord. The scenes 
of the past few days, I trust, will make me wiser and 
more holy. Brother Richards embarked with strong 
hopes of reaching his mother's native land. For 
several days he was quite strong, appetite good, and 
he took his turn in conducting our evening worship. 
" While in the China sea he asked to be excused 
from conducting service. The evening air seemed to 
affect his lungs. His weakness increased although 
his appetite was good. We made the coast of Africa 
May 1st. For nearly four weeks we had alternate 
gales and calms, and a most rough and uncomfort- 
able sea. During this time he failed very fast. 
Still he was able to dress himself and walk about the 
cabin. May 26th he remarked to me that his body 
could not hold out much longer. From this time it 
was necessary to lift him from his berth to the sofa 
in the cabin, as long as he had strength to endure 
being moved. His appetite failed. He was exceed- 
ingly emaciated. I felt that he had not many days to 
live. Sunday morning, June 1st, I talked with him 
about dying and preparation for the same. He 



110 THE MISSION CEMETERY. 

talked about death as a subject that was familiar to 
his own mind. He said if he had deferred prepara- 
tion till that time, he should be in a poor condition to 
prepare to die. His trust was in God. He said that he 
had hoped to live to get home on his mother's account. 
On Tuesday he gave me instructions in relation to 
some books which he wished sent to Fuh Chau, and 
also dictated his last message to his Fuh Chau friends. 
They had a large place in his affections, and he used 
to talk to me about them with apparent delight. He 
gave directions about some of his personal effects. 
He said that he had then done all, except writing to 
his mother, brothers, and sisters. Wednesday he was 
exceedingly weak. It was with some difficulty that 
I could induce him to dictate his last words to his 
mother. ' O ! I am so weak.' Yet he sent his dying 
message to his mother, brothers, and sisters. To me 
it was a most sad duty to pen those last words, so full 
of affectionate regard. Eighteen hours afterward he 
slept in death. This morning his weakness had so in- 
creased that he could not throw the matter from his 
lungs. For some time he was in great pain. I saw 
his end was near. I asked him if amid his pains he 
trusted in Christ, if his Saviour was precious to him. 
' Yes, precious,' said he. Shortly after he asked me 
to turn him over on his back. He folded his hands 
together on his breast, and about ten o'clock his spirit 
took its flight to the spirit land. At five o'clock this 
afternoon he was buried in the vast sea. 



KEV. WILLIAM L. EICHARDS. Ill 

u We mourn, but not as those without hope. 

" ' How pleasant to think of the absent we love, 
If we miss them below we shall meet them above.' " 

" God grant that this afflictive dispensation may be 
sanctified to our spiritual and eternal good. 

" Yours in Christ, George Loomis." 

Thus died, in his twenty-eighth year, this devoted 
servant of Christ. The mission, speaking in a public 
letter of the cause of his death, very carefully and 
anxiously guard against the supposition that it was at 
all due to climatic influence. They say: "We all 
fully agree with Dr. Welton (his physician at Fuh 
Chau) in the opinion that Mr. Richards's illness is not 
attributable to the influence of this climate." The 
high opinion of his worth entertained by this mission 
is well expressed in a series of resolutions passed by 
them on the receipt of the mournful tidings of his de- 
cease. They were drafted by the lamented Cum- 
mings, and are as follows : 

u Whereas it has pleased Almighty God to remove 
from time to eternity the Eev. William L. Richards, 
who died at sea of consumption June 5, 1851, while 
on a passage to America, therefore, 

"IZesofoed, That by this deeply afflictive event this 
mission has been bereaved of an efficient member 
and a highly esteemed Christian brother. 



112 THE MISSION CEMETERY. 

"JResolved, That while we mourn the loss which we 
and the cause of Christ in this place have sustained 
in the early removal of a devoted and promising mis- 
sionary, it yet becomes us to bow submissively to 
Him by whose righteous will all events are wisely 
ordered, and to acknowledge with gratitude his great 
goodness in the rich effusions of his Spirit vouchsafed 
to the deceased, by which he was enabled to main- 
tain a singularly mature and consistent piety during 
his residence among this people, and to leave abundant 
evidence that, though he now rests from his labors 
his works do follow him. 

"Resolved, That our warmest sympathies are hereby 
tendered to the bereaved mother, the brothers, and 
sisters, and other relatives of the deceased, in view of 
the great affliction which God by a mysterious provi- 
dence has brought upon them, and in our prayers we 
earnestly commend them to Him who in the hour of 
deepest sorrow can bestow beauty for ashes, the oil 
of joy for mourning, and the garment of praise for the 
spirit of heaviness. 

It requires no affectation of humility to say that I 
cannot do full justice to the mind and character of 
this eminent servant of Christ. 

He possessed mental powers of a high order, and 
these powers had reached a point of singular maturity. 
They were God's bequest, and their maturity, in great 
measure, was the product of his providence. Mr. 
Richards in his early youth was obliged to grapple 



EEV. WILLIAM L. RICHARDS. 113 

with difficulties, and settle points of duty in the prose- 
cution of his aims, so that at the age of twenty-four, 
when he commenced his missionary career, he pos- 
sessed the mental growth of many much more ad- 
vanced in life. 

His early discipline, too, had imparted to his mind 
elements of vigor, strength, and manly independence, 
which admirably fitted him for the work of an evan- 
gelist in a new field. His energy and perseverance 
seemed adequate to the attainment of any object 
within the scope of possibility. His whole bearing 
seemed plainly to say, not " It cannot be done," but 
" I will try to do it." 

To choose suitable objects on which to exert his 
energies he possessed discrimination. He thoroughly 
examined and sifted his plan ; his mind penetrated to 
the very bottom of his proposition, and then his judg- 
ment, trained in many a trial, decided the case. 

He possessed prudence and circumspection far be- 
yond his years. These seemed at times almost intui- 
tive in their exercise, but were, in fact, the natural 
products of unremitted self-discipline, and close ob- 
servation of men and things. 

An intellect thus furnished and trained for the con- 
flict of life, gave promise of speedy success in the ac- 
quisition of this difficult language. His " progress 
was indeed flattering." He soon mastered first the 
rudiments, then the construction of the spoken lan- 
guage, and was rapidly acquiring familiarity in its 



114 THE MISSION CEMETEEY. 

use, when God saw fit to lay him aside from his 
work. 

The piety of our brother may be described by 
many of the same terms which have been applied to 
his mental powers. It was mature, strong, vigorous, 
active, and determined. He threw his whole soul 
into it. Still he never assumed its features as true, 
nor placed a favorable construction on his experiences 
without due evidence from God's word. He anx- 
iously scanned his motives, and deeply pondered his 
thoughts, feelings, and emotions. His standard of 
piety was not reached nor maintained without many 
a severe struggle. Sometimes his thoughts over- 
whelmed him, and his feelings refused him utterance 
in the very act of prayer. 

At times he seemed to long with unutterable de- 
sire for convincing manifestations of the love of God 
to his soul. He "thirsted" for God. The third chap- 
ter of Lamentations was with him a favorite portion 
of the Scriptures. He used to speak particularly of 
the twenty-seventh verse : " It is good for a man 
that he bear the yoke in his youth ;" and this proba- 
bly well expressed his sense of the importance of that 
spiritual discipline which he had experienced. Still 
his struggles were not of a nature to unfit him for a 
cheerful prosecution of his work. They gave his 
piety force rather than weakness, and hope rather 
than despondency. He wished to possess a sense of 
acceptance with God, the full pardon of sin, complete 



EEV. WILLIAM L. RICHARDS. 115 

salvation through Christ's righteousness alone, and 
the submission of his whole nature to the will of his 
heavenly Father. 

He loved Christ and his cause, and the souls of the 
heathen. His solemn purpose and aim were to devote 
to these his whole being. He seemed to keep nothing 
back, but to lay all on the Saviour's altar. 

He loved his kindred and his brethren in Christ 
with a deep and generous affection. It was for their 
sakes that he wished to reach America and recover 
from sickness. In this respect he appeared to think 
more about others than himself. Some expressions in 
the letters above quoted show this, and present his 
character in a light most sweet and amiable. 

He always loved to commune with Christian friends 
on matters of religious experience, a trait of charac- 
ter as rare as it is important and desirable. I well 
remember such seasons as the sweetest feasts of soul 
that can be enjoyed this side of heaven, except com- 
munion with God himself. 

In his closing hours two traits of his character 
shone most conspicuously — resignation to God's will 
and trust in the Saviour's love. These sweetly 
blended, and rested in a crown of glory on the head 
of the dying Christian. And as the life-tide ebbed 
fast, the Saviour was near to sustain his soul. 

" Is the Saviour still precious?" 

" Yes, precious." 

With this dying testimony he calmly confronted 



116 THE MISSION CEMETERY. 

the king of terrors, and, in yielding to his stroke, van- 
quished him. He folded his hands on his breast, and 
without a struggle his spirit took its flight heavenward. 
Dear reader, can you die as this Christian soldier ? 
You certainly cannot unless you possess the like 
precious humility, penitence, faith, and love. Are 
you impenitent ? I beseech you, delay no longer the 
great work of salvation. Eefuse not to cast yourself 
a helpless sinner at the feet of sovereign mercy. 
Tread the world under your feet and struggle for an 
immortal crown. Dear Christian brother, sister, 
whose eye has glanced over this little sketch, take 
courage from the example set before you. You have 
not to seek the Saviour for the first time, you have 
already found him. He is your joy, your delight, 
your song. Fear not. He will be your victory in 
death. You may die in a wilderness, or in a strange 
land, or in the midst of the broad ocean, when loved 
friends are far away and cannot know your mor- 
tal agony ; but Jesus will be near to sustain you with 
his everlasting arms, and you will die with " pre- 
cious Saviour " as the last, the absorbing thought of 
your soul. Perhaps the eye of a toil-worn missionary 
will fall upon these pages, and it will brighten while 
scanning the character depicted in them. After a 
few more days, or at the most years, my fellow- 
laborer, your work will be done, and then come rest 
and glory. " Be thou faithful unto death, and I will 
give thee a crown of life." 



REV. JUDSON DWIGHT COLLINS. 

METHODIST EPISCOPAL MISSION, FUH CHAU. 

By Rev. W. H. COLLINS, 



OF THE MICHIGAN CONFERENCE. 







REV J D i 



#dr. I. §, Collins. 

METHODIST EPISCOPAL MISSION, FUH CHATT. 



Judson Dwight Collins, the subject of this memoir, 
was born in the town of Ross, Wayne County, New- 
York, February 12, 1822. His ancestors, on the 
side of both father and mother, were among the 
early emigrants to America : the former, English, 
settling in Connecticut; the latter, German, and set- 
tling in JSTew-Jersey. His parents, Alpheus and 
Betsey Collins, being members of the Methodist 
Episcopal Church, and their house a home for the 
itinerant ministers, he was favored with early re- 
ligious instruction. It was probably impossible for 
him at adult age to recollect his first religious im- 
pressions, or the time when his first prayer was 
offered to God. Reared in the midst of an intelli- 
gent and moral rural population, early disciplined to 
habits of industry and economy, favored with the 
advantages of family worship, faithful Sunday-school 
instruction, and an evangelical ministry, his early 
youth was passed free from those habits of irreligion 

and vice which so often enervate the foundation of 

8 



122 THE MISSION CEMETERY. 

character and poison the very fountain of life, 
dooming their victims to a life of outbreaking de- 
pravity, or to perpetual instability and worthlessness 
in religion. 

At an early period he manifested a taste and apt- 
ness for learning, which he commenced in the com- 
mon school, under the tuition of Miss Abigail Buner, 
a lady of rare merit, the influence of whose vigorous 
intellect and positive piety, under God, contributed 
in no small degree to give moral tone to his juvenile 
years, and character and shape to his future life. 
Of this early friend he retained a grateful remem- 
brance as long as he lived. 

In the spring of 1831 he emigrated with his 
parents to Michigan, and settled in the town of 
Pittsfield, Washtenaw County. The country was 
new, and educational and religious privileges few, 
but these were carefully improved. In summer he 
labored with his father and brothers in improving a 
new farm, and in winter attended the district school. 
On the opening of an academy in Ann Arbor he 
was permitted to attend it, though he was obliged to 
walk the distance of three and a half miles morning 
and evening. When the first class was organized in 
the Michigan University he was prepared for admis- 
sion, and graduated in August, 1845. 

Having made a profession of religion when about 
fourteen years of age, and united himself with the 
Methodist Episcopal Church, his school boy and col- 



KEV. J. D." COLLINS. 123 

lege life was characterized by a cheerful active 
piety, equally removed from a cold barren asceti- 
cism, on the one hand, and a parasitical sentimen- 
tality obsequiously suiting itself to any society, and 
to all occasions, on the other. His life was marked 
by principle, his devotions by warmth, and his social 
intercourse by courtesy. His young life having 
commenced in a Christian atmosphere, it was de- 
veloped ideally upon a Christian model; all its 
necessities, obligations, and purposes were seen in 
its light. Not that his heart was exempt from the 
moral obliquity common to our nature. Of this few 
ever had clearer conceptions, and his private memo- 
randa and journal attest that in respect to it he had 
the most bitter experience ; but having taken in 
with his first thoughts the idea of a Christian world 
as the world he had to live in here, there was no 
necessity for a great intellectual revolution to adapt 
him to its responsibilities and labors, when, in con- 
version, his heart was made right with God. 

As he acquired ability, he was ready to employ it 
in the service of his Master. The Sunday school 
opened to him a field for which he was peculiarly 
fitted, and in which his labors were varied, abundant, 
and successful. The happiest hours of his life were 
spent in this department of Christian enterprise. 
He distributed Bibles to the destitute, administered 
consolation to the unfortunate in the asylum for the 
poor, visited the erring shut up in prison, and con- 



124 THE MISSION CEMETEEY. 

scientiously rebuked profane, and warned careless 
sinners at large. 

As a class-leader, steward, and local preacher, he 
sought, in the spirit of his Master, to discharge the 
varied duties imposed upon him by the Discipline of 
the Church of his choice. He practically repudiated 
the idea that responsibility to do all the good pos- 
sible is assumed only at the termination of college 
life and with the charge of a congregation ; that a 
young man has a right to lead a heartless, rollicking 
life, because he is at college. He was seeking 
knowledge that he might do good, but seemed to feel 
that a diligent use of what he already possessed was 
the best pledge for the better use of more. He 
therefore entered every open door of usefulness as 
though determined, if his pilgrimage should close 
while yet "under tutors and governors," he might 
have some fruit of life's labor, however abruptly it 
might terminate. In the Church and community 
where he spent these years of study and performed 
these labors of love, " his name is as ointment poured 
forth." 

It is proper to mention, also, that his circumstances 
afforded him no special advantages for active Chris- 
tian effort, as a considerable portion of his time was 
taken from his studies in conducting a preparatory 
school, and other efforts by which he, in part, sus- 
tained himself pecuniarily at the university. Nor 
can it be supposed, judging from his journal, that he 



REV. J. D. COLLINS. 125 

possessed any unwonted natural proclivity to exer- 
tion ; he wrote the most bitter tilings against himself 
for indolence, which lie struggled against with 
solemn and oft-repeated vows, fastings, and prayer. 

In September, 1845, he was employed as professor 
of Natural and Moral Science in the Wesleyan Semi- 
nary at Albion, where he rendered the highest satis- 
faction to patrons and pupils. 

At an early period of his religious experience his 
mind seems to have been directed to the missionary 
work as his peculiar province ; and before any public 
movement had been made in the Methodist Epis- 
copal Church in relation to a mission in China, he 
had settled upon that as the field of his future toil. 
By what instrumentality his mind was turned in this 
direction, is not now definitely known ; but when it 
settled there it never wandered till the day of his death. 
He regarded himself as divinely called to that work, 
and every enterprise in which he engaged was made 
tributary thereto. With avidity he seized upon 
every means of information respecting that land. 
"He searched through every library," said a class- 
mate, " in the university and village to find ancient 
and modern works on China." As he gazed upon 
the great map of this vast empire, threaded in every 
direction by mighty rivers and endless canals, the 
great highways of her immense inland commerce, 
its thousands of cities and villages, thickly dotting 
every part of its broad surface, and teeming with 



126 THE MISSION CEMETEEY. 

hundreds of millions of civilized pagans, all possess- 
ing one language, and united under one government, 
whose antiquity reached far into the myths beyond 
the age of authentic history, and claiming to embody 
the elements of an immortal future, his eye would 
kindle with religious enthusiasm, and his heart throb 
with loyal ambition to share in its conquest to 
Christ. 

To enter this field, with him was only a question 
of time. He proposed to offer himself to the Church; 
if the Church would send him he would gladly go 
under her auspices, for every feeling of his heart 
was loyal to her interest and honor; but if the 
Church was pre-occupied with other fields, so as to 
afford him no protection or patronage, he proposed to 
go alone. However chimerical this might appear to 
others, it was the plain path of rational Christian 
duty to him. It was not in the spirit of a wild adven- 
turer he determined to go, but as a Christian. His 
resolution was the legitimate offspring of an intelligent 
and sublime faith in both the precept and promise of 
the great commission, " Go ye into all the world," 
and " Lo I am with you alway." He said he could 
work his way to China before the mast, if no other 
way should offer. And why not ? he reasoned : men 
work before the mast for money and for fame, and 
why not for the salvation of the world? He main- 
tained he could support himself as a clerk or agent 
while acquiring the language. He had observed that 



EEV. J. D. COLLINS 12? 

foreigners in our country, mingling exclusively with 
the people for the purpose of business or trade, 
acquired our language in a comparatively short period. 
Why might not the same thing be done in China? 
True, this might be a slow process, and be attended 
with discouragements ; but it would be a beginning ; 
it would attract attention ; it would invite others to 
the same field. He had too much knowledge of 
human nature to suppose China could be converted 
in a day or a lifetime ; yet he hoped that his life, if 
patiently and laboriously consecrated to the conver- 
sion of China, would make a beginning, and he fondly 
hoped the beginning of a glorious end. The following 
letter from Bishop Janes shows the position of the M. 
E. Church in relation to a mission in China at this 
time. 

E aston, Maetland, Dec, 1845. 
To Eev. W. H. Collins. 

Rev. and Dear Brother, — When at your conference 
last fall, I received a letter from your brother, re- 
questing me to make inquiries and give him informa- 
tion respecting the establishment of a mission in 
China by the M. E. Church. I could not satisfy my- 
self earlier what would probably be done by the 
Church in this matter, and I consequently have post- 
poned writing to your brother. I have now no cer- 
tain information on the subject, but feel I ought to 
write to him. I am now from home, and have not 
your brother's letter with me, and have forgotten his 



128 THE MISSION CEMETERY. 

Christian name. I write to you, presuming you will 
take pleasure in communicating it to him. I think 
there, is a strong probability that our Church will 
establish a mission in China next year. I would 
advise your brother to hold himself in readiness in 
case the Board should so determine and call for him. 
I did not think it best for him to work his passage 
to China, as he proposed. The time may come when 
I should advise this, but I think it is not yet. We 
shall know pretty definitely what the Church will do 
in May next. I hope he will lose none of his interest 
in the mission by the delay to establish it. 
Yours fraternally, 

Edmund S. Janes. 

In his journal, under date of June 22d, 1856, is the 
following: "Head in the Missionary Advocate that 
it had been determined to send two missionaries to 
China. I have long desired and expected to go to 
that field of labor. My name is before the mission 
committee and the public, yet I do not know whether 
I shall be sent. I feel to leave all in the hands of 
God. If there are others who would better serve 
the Church of Christ in that region I pray that they 
may be sent. Yet I long to be on that soil, learning 
their language, and preaching to them the unsearcha- 
ble riches of the Gospel of Christ. In the mean time 
I pray for more grace rightly to discharge my duties 
here ,' ? 



REV. J. D. COLLINS. 129 

It Lad become so evident to liim that he would be 
called to this work, that he resigned his place in the 
seminary at the close of the year, and devoted him- 
self to the work of the ministry. In September, 1846, 
he was admitted on trial in the Michigan Annual 
Conference, and appointed junior preacher on Tomp- 
kins circuit, with the understanding that he might 
be called to the mission work at any time during the 
year. Tompkins was a large four weeks' circuit, 
which he traveled on foot, filling all his appointments, 
three on the Sabbath and others on week-days, and 
visiting from house to house with great zeal and faith- 
fulness. The reason he assigned for adopting this 
primitive and apostolic mode of conveyance was that 
he might test his powers of endurance, and inure 
himself to the hardships to which he would be subject 
in a missionary life. 

" I well remember," says Dr. Hinman, in an ad- 
dress on his life and character, " the peculiar emotions 
I experienced, and the feelings of admiration I had for 
the Christ-like devotion of our brother, when, soon 
after my arrival in the state, I heard from his own 
lips a modest narrative of his life. He was then on 
his circuit rejoicing in the midst of his labors, travel- 
ing on foot, preaching on Sabbaths and week-days, 
and visiting from house to house, to gather up the 
scattered sheep in the wilderness. The college grad- 
uate, the seminary professor, the minister of the 
Gospel, without a permanent home, threading his way 



130 THE MISSION CEMETERY. 

through uncultivated wilds on foot, solitary and alone, 
with the love of souls burning in his heart, how I 
admired him ! How I loved his devotion to the 
cause of Christ ! But there was another fire, lit with 
a coal from the same altar, burning deeper in his 
heart. It was the fire of missionary zeal. He was in 
hourly expectation of a call from the Missionary 
Board for China. I was with him when he heard of 
the arrival of the letter in a distant village. It was 
dark, and the village w T as distant. He could hardly 
stay to take a piece of bread ere he was on his way 
for his commission. Before the morning sunlight he 
had it in his hand. He opened it, and sure enough 
there was China ! The big tear stood in his eye. His 
heart swelled with emotion, and on his knees he 
thanked God he was a missionary to China. To the 
antiquarian, the historian, the philosopher, or the 
tradesman, there is something desirable and exciting 
in this land ; but for him it was a vast continent of 
souls of idolators perishing for lack of knowledge, an 
inviting, yet a fearful field. 

On the 3d day of March, 1847, he took leave of 
his friends at home, made more solemn to him by 
what was then supposed to be the mortal sickness of 
his mother, and set out to find his new field of labor. 
At Eochester, "N. Y., he met his colleague, Eev. M. 
White. In New York he learned for the first time that 
the mission was to be established at Full Chau. On 
the 15th of April he sailed frorn Boston, reaching his 



EEV. J. D. COLLINS. 131 

destination on the 6th of September. He says : " We 
reached the city of Fuh Chan about nine o'clock 
P. M. in health and safety, having had a missionary 
concert prayer-meeting on the way up the river, it 
being the first Monday evening in the month." 

A few days sufficed to secure a house, and make 
the necessary arrangements for living, and he ad- 
dressed himself to the Herculean task of learning the 
language. He says, September 19 : " Made it my 
principal business to-day to look for a teacher, but do 
not succeed in securing one before Friday, and so 
conclude I will not commence regular study until 
Monday. But I desire earnestly to become acquainted 
with the language of this people, that I may tell them 
of the Saviour. I have been permitted to feel deeply 
their condition, and to cry out in spirit, " O Lord, 
how long?" But his active mind could not be con- 
fined to the study of the language exclusively within 
doors. His habit from early life had been to use 
knowledge as he acquired it, and to acquire more in 
the use of what he possessed. He therefore at once 
commenced an exploration of his parish, to make an 
early acquaintance with the country, and the customs 
and condition of the people. He was eager to have 
some seeds of truth germinating in that soil, and so 
commenced at once to scatter it in tracts and books. 
His letter journal, exchanged monthly with his brother 
at home during his stay in China, shows the cheerful 
interest witli which he prosecuted this work ; and as 



132 THE MISSION CEMETERY. 

it so well illustrates missionary life in China, as well 
as his tastes, habits, and labors, an occasional extract 
will be instructive and interesting: 

" September 20th, Monday. — To-day I commenced 
the study of Chinese under a teacher. He is a young 
looking man, and wears a cue. Around its base a 
little circle of hair has been permitted to grow of late, 
while the remaining portion of his head has been 
shaved. This little frill is now about four inches long, 
and makes a nice appearance, standing out around 
like a little boy's ruffle. I think he lisps a little, a 
great fault in my eyes, as the same thing has caused 
me great trouble. The weather is warm, the thermom- 
eter having stood at ninety degrees for several days ; 
but I enjoy good health, for which I ought to be 
grateful. We live on an island in the river Min, on 
the bank of the river, so that I can run out before 
any one is stirring in the morning and take a bath, 
which I find very refreshing. I read the Bible in 
the Greek and Hebrew before breakfast, and study 
Chinese during the day. I write or do miscellaneous 
work in the evening. I wish to improve all my time, 
and I think a missionary above all men should be ac- 
quainted with the Bible. At four o'clock this even- 
ing I walked into the country. They have no roads 
or farms as in our country. I traveled along a wind- 
ing foot-path among tombs and trees perhaps two 
miles, not having passed a single house, when I came 
suddenly upon a small village of perhaps one hundred 



REV. J. D. COLLINS. 133 

Louses. They were one story, high walls of plaster, 
and tile roofs. I passed peach and olive orchards, 
and orange and banian trees. Sugar-cane was grow- 
ing in small patches more rank than is usual with 
Indian corn, which it resembles. I passed through a 
rice field on a path of large blocks of granite. The 
rice-fields are much like our marshes, being covered 
with water. The rice is sown, and when it springs 
up it is all transplanted into drills, about eight inches 
apart ; it is now just beginning to head. I saw a few 
cattle, which were finely formed and in good condi- 
tion, though small ; they were all tied, as there are no 
fences in this country. Large quantities of manure 
are brought from the city for the land. It is borne on 
the shoulders of men. Men were here and there at 
work, or, having just completed their tasks, were 
returning to their homes in the village. One boy had 
been fishing in a kind of cistern for tadpoles, of which 
he had a string about one foot in length. The hills 
outside the city are reserved for burying places, with 
here and there little incense houses among the tombs. 

how dark are these minds in relation to eternity! 

1 distributed a few tracts, which the people seemed 
anxious to possess. 

His teacher not giving satisfaction was dismissed, 
and another employed, with whom his first interview 
is thus described : 

" October 1. — I have had a new teacher to-day, and 
think I shall be pleased with him. You wonder how 



134 THE MISSION CEMETERY. 

we manage with our teachers, as each is unacquainted 
with the other's language, and really it is a predica- 
ment to be in. The teacher comes in, clothed in a 
long white gown, bare headed, his cue hanging down 
his back, and his long white stockings tied over his 
trowsers below the knee. He bows obsequiously, and 
I motion him to a seat by the table. Thus far we 
have progressed finely ; but now comes the tug of 
war. For a few moments we sit minutely eyeing 
each other. I make the first demonstration by writ- 
ing some word in Chinese, which I have somewhere 
picked up. He pronounces it, and I pronounce it 
after him. This goes badly. I manipulate my head, 
and flourish toward him. He stares at me, not know- 
ing but I am mad, I suppose. At length the poor 
man sees what I am at. I want the Chinese word for 
head, and he enunciates it. I cheer him, and write it 
down, and flourish for him to write it in Chinese; 
he takes the little brush pencil and writes it, and I 
imitate him. I next manipulate my nose, and the 
same process is gone through with, and so on with 
various things. Now and then I pick up a Chinese 
word. I make what use I can of books, and so creep 
along a-la-baby." 

The residence first taken by the missionaries was 
on the Island, three miles from the walled city. 
From the first he determined, if possible, to gain a 
residence within the walls, but in this he met the 
most inveterate opposition. Several contracts were 



KEY. J. D. COLLINS. 135 

made, but as often broken by the natives. At one 
time he considered his purpose accomplished, and 
thus relates the transaction : 

" October 14. — I have hired a house, a part of a 
heathen temple, being one of a collection of temples 
inside the city. It is pleasantly situated on the brow 
of a hill, in a large open space, where there are some 
fine bold rocks, and with a venerable banian tree, 
and beautiful flowers before it. The house is sixty- 
five feet long and thirty-five wide. I gave ninety-six 
dollars, with the stipulation that the idols, which are 
large, and covered with gold, one of which has 
eighteen hands, are not to be removed. This morn- 
ing I called a carpenter and was directing him to 
bring the wall around, so as to form a ceiling in front 
of the idols, when the priest of the place objected. A 
long controversy then ensued, in such manner as it 
could by the aid of my smatter of Chinese, my teach- 
er, and a vocabulary. The priest claimed to under- 
stand that he was to have the privilege of coming 
from time to time and performing his heathenish cer- 
emonies before these idols. For five dollars he 
agreed to turn the front ones around and permit me 
to ceil up before them. The proposition did not 
please me, as I did not wish so far to respect their 
lumps of clay as to pay for the privilege of making 
a wall even in their very teeth. I proposed that if I 
could have a permannent lease of the premises I 
would give thirty dollars to take the idols away. 



136 THE MISSION CEMETERY. 

At length this was acceded to, and to-morrow they 
are to clear the premises. But I know not what a 
day may bring forth." In the course of a few days 
he learned that he could not retain his house, and 
after many similar efforts the design was abandoned. 
The cupidity of individuals would sometimes induce 
them to offer their houses for rent, but the prejudice 
of their neighbors against foreigners usually com- 
pelled them to violate their contracts, and the author- 
ities, who were equally averse to foreigners settling 
within the walls, could not be induced to enforce 
them. Yet no obstacle was presented to the distribu- 
tion of books and tracts either in city or country. 

October 9th he says : " I visited a mountain east of 
the city, which is said to be three thousand feet high. 
I had a grand prospect. I could see the ocean and 
the whole valley of Fuh Chau. There were five hun- 
dred villages in sight, all accessible to the Gospel. 
The fields are white. Pray ye, therefore, the Lord of 
the vineyard that he send more laborers." 

On the 28th of Febuary, 1848, a school was organ- 
ized consisting of eight boys, and on Sunday, March 4, 
a Sunday school was opened. He says : " To-day it 
has been my privilege to attend a Sabbath school. 
You may be sure the event has awakened a crowd of 
interesting reminiscences of the past, and excited 
bright hopes for the future. I had appointed half past 
nine as the time for the children to come, but most 
of them were present by eight o'clock. The observa- 



REV. J. D. COLLINS. 137 

tion of the day was to be a new era in their lives, and 
with no proper notions of its sanctity they were far 
more boisterous and noisy than was proper. By gen- 
tly rebuking them, and placing a trusty person over 
them, they were in a good degree kept in order. At 
the time appointed, I went in company with Brother 
White to the school-room. All were quiet. We 
sang in Chinese the L. M. Doxology to the tune of 
Old Hundred. The Lord's Prayer w T as then read in 
Chinese, and explained ; and all kneeling down, Broth- 
er White led our devotions in the use of the Lord's 
Prayer in English. The second chapter of St. Mat- 
thew's gospel was then read and explained, the boys 
being frequently questioned individually in regard 
to their understanding of it. They seemed interested 
through the entire exercises. We closed at eleven 
o'clock with singing and the Lord's Prayer. At one 
o'clock I again met the boys, and after the opening 
service, much as in the morning, I spent the time up- 
on the ten commandments. O my brother, it was a 
sight to gladden the angels! These little Chinese 
boys, hitherto nurtured in the darkness of heathenism, 
and in the midst of idolatrous rites, assembled for the 
purpose of learning the claims of the great Jehovah 
to our worship, and his denunciation of all creature 
worship. And when thus assembled to hear them 
repeating these blessed principles of inspiration, to 
see their sparkling eyes and expressions of delight, it 
seemed as though they were casting their idolatry 



138 THE MISSION CEMETERY, 

away and eagerly receiving into their minds the word 
of God. I bless God for permitting me to witness 
such a sight, and to participate in such an honor." 
This school gave him great encouragement as it in- 
creased in numbers, and its members improved in 
knowledge of the Scriptures. As he progressed in 
the language he extended his efforts for the salvation 
of the people ; but as yet no regular appointments 
were made for distributing tracts, and no effort to ad- 
dress the people in their own language. On the 18th 
of August he says he selected a place for this purpose. 
An open building on the south side of the river seems 
suitable. 

"August 20. — I went with a trembling heart to my 
meeting place, having a few tracts in my hand. On 
reaching the place, the people came around me beg- 
ging books. I asked them to listen, and they made 
a great silence, hearing me speak in the Chinese 
tongue. I spoke for some time to them of some of 
the great principles of our religion earnestly, and I 
think intelligibly. I left an appointment for this day 
week. O that the Lord may bless this the beginning 
of my evangelical labors in China I" 

Kegarding himself as settled for a life-long labor 
in the missionary cause in and around Full Chan, 
and feeling from the first the importance of a 
thorough acquaintance with his field, when he had 
become familiar with the more prominent features 
of interest in the city and immediate vicinity, he 



KEV. J. D. COLLINS. 139 

made excursions into the surrounding country in 
every direction ; sometimes extending but a few 
miles, at others reaching distant villages, and occu- 
pying several days in their accomplishment. These 
afforded a healthy relaxation from study, and favor- 
able opportunities for extending his knowledge of the 
physical aspects of the country, and every depart- 
ment of natural science, as well as the social and 
moral condition of the people. The varied scenery 
of the country filled him with the highest delight. 
In communion with nature he never seemed weary. 
His epistolary journal abounds with sketches, inci- 
dents, and observations, taken in those rambles, from 
which materials might be drawn for an interesting 
and profitable volume. 

In September, 1848, he made a journey to the 
north of Full Chau. Passing over the tea hills, he 
reached the banks of the river Ling Kong, and 
taking passage upon a boat, descended to the city of 
that name. 

He says : " I embarked upon the river, the waters 
of which were clear, and glided down its rapid cur- 
rent fifteen or twenty miles to the city of Ling 
Kong. It is a walled town, situated about twenty 
miles from the ocean, contains one hundred thousand 
inhabitants, and was said never to have been visited 
before by a foreigner. The people thronged about 
me with the most intense curiosity. I met them by 
thousands in a temple, where I addressed them ; and, 



140 THE MISSION CEMETERY. 

distributing a few hundred tracts, I left the city at 
sunset, and went out to an inn by the wayside and 
slept." 

In another excursion, in company with one of his 
colleagues, he thus describes the termination of his 
voyage up the river Min : 

"January 4, 1849. — At two o'clock we are about 
seventy miles from Fuh Chau, and within five miles 
of Chui Kang, a mandarin station, where all boats 
are expected to pay duty. We conclude to return 
homeward soon. Lofty peaks, rising almost from the 
river bank, are towering above us. The clouds are 
dispersing, and the atmosphere is beautifully trans- 
parent. Our decision is taken to land, climb the 
mountain, and look as far and as satisfactorily as we 
can, and then face about for home. The path up the 
mountain led along the edge of a deep ravine, afford- 
ing us many grand and impressive views. As we 
progressed upward the prospect widened ; but mid- 
way in the ascent our path dwindled, and though 
there were no trees of great size, yet the small trees 
were tall and thickly covered the ground, which, to- 
gether with the grass and fern, seemed to render our 
further progress impossible. Fortunately we heard 
the voice of a woodman, and soon called him to our 
aid. At the first sight of us outsiders the old man 
seemed scarcely to know whether he should faint, 
fight, or fly. He soon, however, began to berate us 
most furiously, and then to ply us with questions, 



EEV. J. D. COLLINS. 141 

mingled with expressions of wonder, followed by in- 
timations that we had better be elsewhere. But 
hearing his language from our lips soon modified 
him, and the promise of cash soon brought him quite 
over, and he cheerfully undertook the task of leading 
us to the top of the mountain by the right path. It 
was hard tugging up the steep way, but after two 
hours' toiling we stood upon the summit. The scene 
was surpassingly grand. Partially toward Fuh Chau 
a mountain more lofty than our own intercepted our 
view ; but to the north and east sight had its widest 
range. The river was at our feet, and along its 
upward course hill arose beyond hill, and mountain 
above and beyond mountain, till earth and sky were 
blended in impenetrable distance. Chui Kang 
seemed hardly a mile distant, though it was five 
miles away ; but besides this scarcely another human 
habitation was to be seen. There were no cultivated 
fields or grazing flocks, no wide-spread plains nor 
barren rocks ; but hills, hills, and mountains, rugged, 
and often steep, but fertile, and covered with a dense 
growth of underwood, grasses, and ferns, the habita- 
tions of wild beasts and wild birds, freshening and 
withering with the succession of seasons, as from age 
to age they have been doing in this old land in all 
the past. I find more and more ground for my 
opinion, that the resources of China for the support 
of human life are far from being fully developed ; 
and that, out of its great cities and away from its rice 



142 THE MISSION CEMETERY. 

plantations, it is a sparsely inhabited country. I be- 
lieve there is no seventy miles on the Huron, or St. 
Joseph, in your state, where a person in passing 
would not see four times as many houses and men as 
we have seen since leaving the vicinity of Fuh Chau. 
We hastened down to the river, and about sunset 
began our downward way. The current was strong, 
and swept us rapidly on, till at fall of dark we ran 
behind the bank, and took position for the night." 

The government officers, if consulted, would proba- 
bly have discouraged, perhaps prohibited, these ex- 
plorations ; but the people, who have but little sym- 
pathy with state officials in China, seldom interfere 
with them. He conversed with the people in the 
streets, in their houses and temples, around their al- 
tars, and in presence of their idols ; exposed their 
folly and wickedness, and preached Jesus with as 
complete immunity from personal indignity, though 
often alone and unprotected, as he could have 
preached and labored with the same faithfulness 
among sinners at home. His intercourse with the 
people was entirely unrestrained by any fear of per- 
sonal injury. Indeed from childhood he seemed a 
stranger to fear ; but his reliance was in moral rath- 
er than physical strength. He disciplined himself to 
feel that to he right was to he safe. He also held in- 
violate the moral convictions of others ; even the con- 
science of a heathen commanded his respect. He 
addressed himself to the work of bringing them to 



REV. J. D. COLLINS. 143 

Christianity by enlightening their conscience, not by 
violating or seducing it. He knew that the cause of 
Christ would be hindered, rather than helped, by 
other than true evangelical conversions, and hence 
acted upon the policy that it would be better to la- 
bor on for long years, if need be, in patient hope, 
without visible fruit, than to dim the prestige of the 
Church he represented for true spirituality by the 
illusion of unconverted converts. Yet he did not en- 
tirely escape opposition. 

The labor of the missionary in China is, on many 
accounts, difficult, tedious, and discouraging. The 
thousands of different characters to be learned in ac- 
quiring the written language ; the many nice, but 
important distinctions of sound in pronunciation ; the 
diversity of dialects in different cities, and in differ- 
ent classes in the same city ; the prejudice existing 
between different classes socially, amounting practi- 
cally to caste, are among the causes that render Chris- 
tian access to the people more complicated than in 
any other field occupied by the Christian Church. 
The difficulties of the language are thus described : 

August 27, 1849. — " I have told you, but I do not 
know that you remember it, so I tell you again, that 
the Chinese language is manifold, yet but one, thus : 
The character is common to the empire, and in all 
parts of it ; those who know how to read look upon 
the same book and understand it alike. Collect men 
from different parts, however, and while they are thus 



144 THE MISSION CEMETERY. 

silently looking at the characters of the same work, 
and the same train of thought is passing through the 
mind of each, just then tell them to read aloud, and 
you would have a Babel let loose ; every man speak- 
ing, but not hearing in his own tongue ; for the pro- 
nunciation of the same character in the different dia- 
lects, and they are almost as numerous as the cities 
of China, differ very materially. Now, set a Fuh 
Chan man to reading from a book to a Fuh Cbau 
man who does not know how to read, and the poor 
illiterate is as ignorant as before, for he has not un- 
derstood one word ; because ideas expressed by the 
sounds of the written characters are not represent- 
ed by the same sounds as in the common conversa- 
tion of the people. So, to make the man who cannot 
read understand, the sounds used in ordinary conver- 
sation must be used, and not those used to pronounce 
the character. In a word, to make him understand, I 
must give him the colloquial and not the reading 
sound. There is a colloquial dictionary in the Fuh 
Chau dialect, in which the colloquial sounds are rep- 
resented, each by a couple of characters, which an- 
swer the purpose of alphabetic letters. By the help 
of these characters I have had the Gospel of Matthew 
written out in the colloquial. My morning exercise 
is to read a portion of the Gospel in this dialect re- 
peatedly until it has become familiar, or until my 
teacher comes. I then read with him the correspond- 
ing portion printed in the regular character. Now 



REV. J. D. COLLINS. 145 

each word has a character of its own, and when I 
learn a new word I have to learn a new character, the 
sound of which I cannot judge of in the least from the 
form. Then I converse with the teacher in regard to 
the lesson, and when at length I feel prepared, I send 
for the other members of the family, and we read a 
verse each, giving the reading sound ; and having 
gone over the lesson in this way, each gives in suc- 
cession a verse in the colloquial, and when the occa- 
sion calls for it I make some explanatory or hortatory 
remarks. After this we all kneel down, I pray, and 
the exercise is closed. In speaking of the language, 
I have left out of the account the Mandarin or court 
dialect, which is a still different pronunciation of the 
character, but which is essentially the same all over 
the empire." On another occasion he says : " One 
difficulty, of no small magnitude, is the graduated na- 
ture of the language. I mean by this the prevalence 
of one style of expression in one grade of society, and 
another in another grade or class. I noticed it par- 
ticularly to-day. Teacher would first read the char- 
acters from the books ; these of course he understood, 
but it was so much English to the servants. Then it 
was rendered into the spoken language, such as is 
common, I suppose, in the better circles, but was too 
high for the comprehension of the uneducated ; for 
when I questioned them they looked blank, and said 
they did not understand what had been said, and so 
a still more diluted exposition had to be given. By 



146 THE MISSION CEMETREY. 

this time the teacher had become full-blown with a 
conceit of his far remove in superiority from the poor 
illiterate. The precepts of the Gospel were delivered 
as though he was the inspired oracle whence the wis- 
dom originated ; and though the exercise was intended 
for him as much as them, he forgot to take the sense 
to himself in his eagerness to impart it to others." 

For the most part instruction was communicated 
in conversation ; even the preaching, to a great ex- 
tent, partook of this style. Their knowledge of the- 
ology and religion, their tastes and capabilities, but 
ill qualified them for listening to a set discourse. 
To this kind of preaching he was well adapted by 
nature and cultivation. Christianity in this field was 
in its early seed-time ; no fruit, or blossom, or even a 
blade, had yet appeared, and it was necessary to broad- 
cast the sacred seed over the land ; a work that re- 
quired the wisdom of the serpent and the harmless- 
ness of the dove. To this work he addressed himself, 
seeking to be instant in season and out of season ; 
entering the rude chapel, the heathen temple, or 
standing by the wayside to dispense the precious 
truth to all who would hear, sometimes to many, at 
other times to few. January 19 he says: "After 
breakfast, I put on my overcoat and walked away to 
the city the first time for a long while, to fill my 
appointment there. Near the center of the city is a 
great building, spanning the main street, the upper 
story of which is inclosed in one great room; the 



REV. J. D. COLLINS. 147 

lower story is left quite open in front and rear. There 
I have several times gone before to declare my mes- 
sage, as a company is readily assembled there to hear. 
At one end of the building no one seems inclined to 
carry on business, at the other are several tables 
and a small furnace or two, and also seats, where tea 
is made, and sold, and drank. To-day I walked up 
to one of the tables, and took a seat opposite a re- 
spectable looking person who was sipping his tea, 
and asked for a cup for myself, and began conversa- 
tion with my neighbor. With the inquisitiveness 
common among Chinese, he asked me how long I 
had been in the country, my age, where my house 
was, and whether I was engaged in trade? all of 
which I answered. He then asked me if I bought 
and sold opium ; I answered No ; and added some 
remarks upon the great wickedness and injury of 
using that drug, which elicited applause from the 
people who had gathered around. " How then do 
you live ?" he wished to know ; and I told him my 
friends supported me. And, " Why do you stay ?" 
" To declare the doctrines of Jesus !" " Are you ac- 
quainted with them ?" I then went on to gratify the 
interest which had become considerable to him, to hear 
what those doctrines were, and I felt great liberty in 
preaching Jesus and the resurrection to from fifty to 
one hundred persons from my tea bench. I took a 
swallow or two of tea, paid about half a cent, and 
after distributing a few tracts left the place, receiving 



148 THE MISSION CEMETERY. 

several invitations to come again, and sit, and drink 
tea, and converse. I trust I am grateful to God for 
so quiet and favorable an opportunity of declaring the 
truths of his blessed word." 

There is one trait of character in the Chinese 
which, perhaps more than any other, discouraged 
him in regard to immediate success. It is described 
in Psalm lviii, 3 : " They go astray as soon as they be 
born, speaking lies." He regarded lying as the great 
national sin, that rendered them helpless under the 
ravages of their rank public vices. These views he 
expressed, in connection with the evil of smoking 
opium, October 15, 1849. 

" To be an opium smoker, I judge, is about the 
worst of all human misfortunes. It does not make a 
man a fury, as alcohol does ; at least I have never 
seen such a case. But it makes him a poor imbecile. 
It blunts his perceptions, diminishes his strength, 
hollows his cheeks, and dims his eyes. His appetite 
is gone, his energy is gone, and his property is squan- 
dered. From morning to night, and from night to 
morning, he must be inhaling the fumes. His con- 
stitution is shattered ; all moral sense is lost ; all nat- 
ural affections gone ; he will even sell his wives to 
get opium. Prematurely old, he drops into the 
grave, and into perdition. Its hold upon its victims 
is even stronger than that of strong drink. Certain 
it is, we can not bring to bear upon its victims any 
motives which will in any wise prevail upon them to 



EEV. J. D. COLLINS. 149 

reform, as you do sometimes upon the inebriate. 
Voluntary temperance associations can do no good. 
We know they have done a great work for America; 
but they had a people nurtured under the influence 
of Christianity to work upon. You cannot realize 
the vast difference here. They are false to each other 
in all their transactions ; they would be so in prom- 
ises of reformation from vice. There is no hope of 
reforming this people from alcohol and opium drunk- 
enness until there exists among them a public and 
private morality, based upon the principles of the 
Gospel." 

Having a clear, strong faith in the evangelization 
of China, and believing from the present state of the 
Christian Church, and the condition of this vast em- 
pire, that it would require long years, perhaps ages, 
for its accomplishment, he desired to see everything 
done in the present incipient state of things in a 
manner to become the broad, enduring foundation 
of so vast and glorious an enterprise. As an effort 
was then being made in China by the different mis- 
sionaries to secure a correct and uniform version of 
the Scriptures, he gave it his hearty approval, and 
so far as he had opportunity he labored with an earn- 
est catholic spirit for its accomplishment ; and though 
he knew it might require several years to execute 
the work, and that it would be attended with a large 
expense of men and means, yet its importance would 
justify the outlay, and it was his earnest wish that 



150 THE MISSION CEMETERY. 

his own Church might be identified with the work. 
He therefore sought to have it represented in the 
committee of revision, and to have it assume its 
proper share of the responsibility. Such were his 
views at that time of the subject, viewed from the 
foreign mission side of the question. 

In February, 1849, just as Brother Hickok and wife 
were about to return to America, in consequence of 
failure of health, he was attacked with typhus fever, 
by which he was brought to the door of death. For 
many days he lingered upon the very brink of the 
grave. But, by the blessing of God upon the kind 
attention of missionary friends, under the judicious 
treatment of Brother White, who was his physician, 
his strong constitution rallied, and in a few weeks 
he was convalescent, though it is doubtful whether 
he ever entirely recovered from the shock. He says, 
with respect to his sickness : " I know that my case 
was considered dangerous. At some moments I 
seemed to myself, as to this life, as gliding away into 
eternity, and felt peace in commending my soul to 
my God. I had no fear, and I believe no dread 
to die." 

Finding the warm season approaching before he 
had gained sufficient strength to labor, by the advice 
of brethren he made a voyage at sea, which occupied 
several weeks, of which he says : " I think I might 
have continued to recover slowly had I remained at 
Fuh Chau ; but in view of the warm season, which is 



EEV. J. D. COLLINS. 151 

just at hand, and the severe trial it would likely be 
to my enfeebled system, in consideration also of the 
fact that if I were to remain at home, several weeks 
yet must be passed in inability to enter upon my 
regular labor, I have, with the advice especially of 
Brother White, who has been my physician during 
my sickness, concluded to spend some part of that 
time in a sea voyage. In the prosecution of that 
purpose I am now on board a lorcha, just at the 
mouth of the river Min, bound up the coast for 
Ningpo. She lias under her protection a fleet of 
about thirty Chinese junks, from which she is to keep 
off the pirates." 

The fleet moved slowly, which was all the better 
for him, enabling him frequently to go ashore, and 
distribute tracts among the people of the villages, or 
ramble amid the rural scenery of the coast country. 

This voyage, extending to Ningpo and Shanghai, 
occupied a little more than two months ; and he re- 
turned to Fuh Chau, June 18th, greatly improved in 
health and heart, and with his mind stored with a 
variety of useful facts, gathered from his association 
with men of larger experience in the missionary 
field. He addressed himself to his work with re- 
newed ardor. 

Having become satisfied of the impracticability of 
obtaining a residence within the walls of the city, he 
selected a site for a residence on the south side of the 
river, and commenced the erection of a dwelling. 



152 THE MISSION CEMETERY. 

He says: "It is on a hill, with olive-trees grow- 
ing upon it. It is one hundred and seventy feet 
long, and one hundred and twenty wide ; for which 
I am to pay about forty-four dollars rent per annum, 
without taxes. To all appearance it is as healthy a 
location as I have seen in China. If the way had 
been open, I should have been willing to sacrifice 
some of the advantages which this place presents for 
those of being in or near the city. As that could 
not be done, I have been compelled to take a place 
more beautiful of itself, and far more commanding 
than any I have seen about Fuh Chau, and my ob- 
servation has not been limited. It will always be 
within reach of the society of several mission fami- 
lies. You wonder that there are not enough houses 
in so old and populous a country as China to rent 
without the trouble and expense of building. The 
Chinese houses are mostly shiftless affairs. This is 
especially the case here, and south of us. Indeed I 
have never seen one which it would be prudent for a 
foreigner to live in continuously without repairs. 
Toward the north, as the climate is more stern, the 
houses are better. To repair a rented house suitably 
costs nearly as much as to build, and when done it 
is still old. The roof will be leaking, and the timber 
will be nests for white ants and cockroaches. The 
uniform sentiment here, at present, is in favor of 
building anew." 

November 21, he says : " The carpenter begins the 



REV. J. D. COLLINS. 153 

building of my house in good earnest to-day." No- 
vember 22 : " Go up to look at the workmen. 
They have put up a shanty to sleep in, and made a 
couple of mud arches in which to set their kettles for 
cooking. They are a stout, laughing, noisy set of 
fellows. All the timber for the house is brought into 
the ground on men's shoulders. Some of the pieces 
are a foot through, and sixty feet long. They are 
brought full a quarter of a mile, over a miserably 
rough, hilly way. Men teams have the entire mon- 
opoly here. It is hard, tearing work. They receive 
probably from ten to fifteen cents per day for their 
services, and board themselves." 

By the 1st of April his house was completed, and 
he commenced house-keeping by himself. He had 
hoped to be more retired here, and to prosecute his 
studies with new vigor. The pleasantness of the 
situation, and the exercise of cultivating and adorn- 
ing his grounds, for which he had a tine taste, he 
hoped would be favorable to his health. These 
hopes were for a time realized in part. But perfect 
health it seems he was never destined to gain in this 
world, though he uncomplainingly worked on, ar- 
dently hoping for better days. 

After the departure of Brother Hickok, the mission 
was without an authorized superintendent until May 
2, 1850, when he says, in his private journal : " Re- 
ceived a letter from Bishop Morris that much sur- 
prises and embarasses me. The position in which it 

10 



154 THE MISSION CEMETERY. 

places me is one of peculiar difficulty and embarrass- 
ment, both to enter upon and carry forward. I look 
to the All-wise for that wisdom which he knows I do 
not possess. Much in the past I have to forget, and 
much to regret. I have much to conquer in the 
future. O for grace from on high !" 

Having taken time for consultation, reflection, and 
prayer, he returned the following letter to Bishop 
Morris : 

"Fuh Chatj, May 7, 1850. 
" To Bishop Morris. 

" Kev. and Dear Sir, — Your letter, dated Decem- 
ber 5, 1849, appointing me to the superintendency 
of this mission, was received on the 2d instant. Did 
I not believe that such is the interest of God's people 
in the evangelization of China, that I should have 
the benefit of their fervent prayers that his blessing 
and guidance shall be granted me in the discharge 
of the duties of this office, I could not go forward in 
it. Assured of this, and looking to the Lord for 
strength and grace as my day shall be, and trusting 
in him to supply the abilities which by nature and 
habit I do not have, I enter humbly upon the work. 
" Affectionately, your brother in the Gospel. 

"J. D. Collins." 

" The work," he continues in his journal, " is full 
of difficulties, and requiring at many points much 
delicacy of dealing, and I am not delicate. But I 



REV. J. D. COLLINS. 155 

shall not prosper by management, worldly wisdom, 
or tact. I must go to the Wise for wisdom. I must 
plead my case earnestly and long before God. I 
must lose self in him ; must regard his glory ; must 
have my heart warmed with love to God, to my 
brethren, and to precious, immortal souls, for whom 
Christ died. I must have a child-like simplicity and 
integrity of purpose, which, if in God, will win my 
way for me." 

It was in this spirit he entered upon the respon- 
sible duties imposed upon him by the authority of the 
Church. But it was not long that he was permit- 
ted to go forward in the active execution of his 
commission. The enervating influence of a cli- 
mate not three degrees removed from the Tropic of 
Cancer, was becoming more visibly marked upon his 
now wasting constitution. From the beginning of his 
residence in China there was an occasion al tendency 
to derangement of the bowels, as is common to foreign- 
ers from a more northern latitude. His severe sick- 
ness, in the spring of 1849, seems to have effectually 
undermined his health. An immediate removal to 
a temperate climate might have restored him in time, 
but was impossible then. It is likely also that his 
extreme delicacy in regard to the use of the modes of 
conveyance common to the country, induced him to 
take more exercise in the discharge of his duties dur- 
ing the warm season, in the heat of the day, than 
was compatible with safety. He greatly regretted 



156 THE MISSION CEMETERY. 

this, but not until it was too late. The following, 
from his epistolary journal to his brother, presents 
a sad view of his health : 

January 1, 1850. — " A new year, and a happy one 
may it be to you, your family, and all my dear 
friends on your side of the wide waters. It has not 
been an unhappy one to me, though it has not been 
one of great mirth or cheerfulness. I commence the 
year with more misgivings in regard to whether I 
shall see its conclusion, than I remember ever to have 
commenced one before. It is well for us always to be 
mindful that this is not our abiding place, and during 
the past year I have been made to feel how frail I 
am. I have been with but a step between me and the 
grave. During the past three months I have been 
the subject of growing indisposition. My system 
seems fast sinking under a derangement of the bow- 
els, a protracted diarrhoea, passing into a settled and 
painful dysentery. I have hardly been able to bear 
up under it to-day so as to be about. I succeeded in 
walking up to my house, now being built, to see how 
the workmen are getting along. The house will be 
needed in the mission if I do not occupy it. You will 
naturally desire to know my feelings under these cir- 
cumstances. I trust that, without being guilty of a 
stupid sentiment of fatality, I feel resigned to any 
event which the providence of God in the future may 
develop. I am willing, his grace supporting me, to 
abide and labor here ; I am willing, if such be his 



REV. J. D. COLLINS. 157 

holy will, to go away. Heaven is a happier place 
than earth, and so plainly is my faith permitted to ap- 
prehend this, that it does not seem to me a grievous 
thing to exchange earth for heaven. I feel grateful 
for the opportunity which has been afforded me of 
preaching the word. I have been allowed to speak 
to many hundreds of this dear people of the adorable 
Eedeemer. I believe some fruit will appear, though 
perhaps not until after many days. I do not often 
speak of my ailments here. I think I am usually 
considered a cheerful person, and I hope I may con- 
tinue so. I trust the Lord has done all things well, 
and I gratefully receive what he metes out to me. 
You will not suffer yourself to entertain any anxiety 
on my account. I am well provided for. I have 
spoken very plainly to you, and you must not think 
there is anything hidden from you. I have made as 
frank a statement of my case as possible. In any 
event, the Lord has been good to me. How kindly 
has he dealt with me ! How truly dark is that dis- 
pensation which has been meted out to my play- 
fellow in childhood, my companion in the halls of 
learning, L. W., his reason dethroned on the very 
threshold of active life, a hopeless maniac ! By let- 
ter from a classmate I learn that another college class- 
mate, R. of K., on his return from the Mexican war, 
was attacked by disease which became chronic, and 
probably before this time has proved fatal. I will not 
institute comparisons ; but I prefer, if it comes to 



158 THE MISSION CEMETERY. 

that, to have taken my fatal wound fighting under 
the banner of the cross than any other, even that of 
my beloved America." 

He had now the advantage of good physicians, some 
of whom had had long practice in China. Various 
remedies were prescribed, sometimes with a tempo- 
rary success, but with no permanent good. Excur- 
sions were made into the country, and in September 
a voyage to Hong Kong ; but he returned little bet- 
ter. The question of his return to America was dis- 
cussed. To this he was opposed, only as the last re- 
sort. He says, December 16 : " Brother Peet called 
this morning and urged me to go home for the bene- 
fit of my health. I should not like to go home sick. 
This mission has an unjust reputation for unhealthi- 
ness now. I do not think it a dangerous climate, and 
should not, therefore, like to encourage the belief that 
is now too wide-spread, by going home under such 
circumstances. I will try to hope and suffer on, 
though I do not suffer much pain. Perhaps I will 
get well by and by. People are sick at home as well 
as here. How many who were well when I left home 
have sickened and died since I came here !" But 
these hopes were never realized. He continued still 
to get worse. He had become feeble, and wasted to 
a skeleton. He could scarcely walk longer. His 
medical advisers, Dr. Welton and Brother White, as- 
sured him there was no hope for him to recover but 
in a long sea voyage, and that if he returned home 



REV. J. D. COLLINS. 159 

immediately he might possibly recover. This deter- 
mined him. He would have toiled on and slept in 
China ; but the chance of living longer to labor there 
reconciled him to his return home. On the 23d of 
April, 1851, he left Fuh Chau, and crossing the Pa- 
cific, reached California July 14th. Spending a few- 
days with his esteemed friend and former pastor, S. 
D. Simonds, he made inquiry in regard to the en- 
couragement for missionary labor among the Chinese 
emigrants in California, as this probably was one mo- 
tive that influenced his return by this route. He 
says in his journal, July 29. " Advised Brother Sim- 
onds not to be too free in proclaiming to the Church 
the advantage of Missionary labor among the Chinese 
in California. I think a school might be of advan- 
tage." He reached home in September, so wasted 
and wan that even his parents could scarcely recog- 
nize him ; but his spirit was unbroken, his zeal una- 
bated by disease. His heart beat as true and as strong 
for his mission work as when, in the strength of 
youthful health and vigor, he first entered the field. 
He visited different places during autumn and early 
winter, in compliance with numerous requests for ser- 
vice in the cause of missions ; but these he was com- 
pelled eventually to decline, in the hope that perfect 
quiet might be secured. He remained mostly with^ 
in doors, but it was difficult to secure quiet in a mind 
so thoroughly possessed with a great and stirring en- 
terprise as was his; for though his body declined 



160 THE MISSION CEMETEEY. 

every day, the intensity of his interest in no wise 
abated in the great work that had been inwrought to 
his soul by years of absorbing thought and care. 
Nor was it until the very last that he relinquished 
the hope of returning to his work again. It was ex- 
tinguished only with the last hope of life, and con- 
stituted its severest pang. Yet when his physician 
informed him there was no longer hope, he received 
the intelligence with a calm submission that said, 
" Nevertheless, Thy will, not mine, be done." 

For many months, as his private journal indicates,, 
he was a great sufferer, and all he said was corrobo- 
rated by the terrible marks inflicted upon his wasted 
frame ; but for a few days previous to his death his 
sufferings became truly intense. Yet he bore them 
all patiently, often expressing thankfulness that they 
were no worse. The day before his death his suffer- 
ings were so great that he swooned ; on recovering his 
mother, who watched over him in his dying moments, 
asked, " Is Jesus precious ?" He answered, " O yes, 
mother." Many expressions of trust and confidence 
in the Saviour, and of his hope of a glorious immor- 
tality, fell from his lips during his last hours, giving 
assurance that he was not forsaken in his sufferings. 
On the thirteenth of May, 1852, he slept in Jesus, 
and all suffering was forever past with him. 

Thus died our dear brother, in the thirtieth year of 
his age. In stature he was slightly above the medium 
height, and of a spare rather than a full habit. He 



EEV. J. D. COLLINS. 161 

had light hair, blue eyes, and a ruddy, pleasant coun- 
tenance. He was temperate in diet, industrious and 
active. His mind was of a philosophical turn, clear, 
and, considering his age, well cultivated by stud}', 
and enlarged by an extensive and attentive observa- 
tion of men and things. Socially he was free and 
genial, retaining the simplicity of childhood in man- 
ner, as he acquired the knowledge of a man. As a 
Christian he was consistent and uniform, believing, 
and striving to realize and exemplify daily in his life, 
that the blood of Jesus Christ cleanseth from all sin. 
As a minister he possessed burning zeal for the salva- 
tion of sinners, and was evangelical and loyal to the 
Church of his choice. He made no pretension to 
oratory, having never had a large practice in formal 
public speaking, yet he was earnest and instructive ; 
and in the colloquial style adapted to the inquisitive, 
subtile heathen, he was fast becoming a workman that 
needed not to be ashamed. His missionary zeal knew 
no limit in degree but capacity, and no bound in 
duration but death. He possessed a large amount of 
that power of practical adaptation to the exigencies 
of the occasion, usually denominated common sense, 
which needs only to be enlarged by exercise and 
matured by time to ripen into wisdom ; and such, 
doubtless, would have been his reputation had Prov- 
idence been pleased to spare his life to old age. He 
fell soon ; yet, considering his age, he labored long, 
because he commenced without wasting any part of 



162 THE MISSION CEMETEKY. 

his morning; and he fell a living missionary, under the 
notice of the Lord of the vineyard, who can, and we 
trust will, cause the early dead of the infant missions 
at Fuh Chau to become a strong bond to the Church, 
leading to the final conquest of China to Christ. His 
remains sleep quietly in his family cemetery in the 
town of Lyndon, Washtenaw county, Michigan ; 
marked by a neat marble slab, on which is inscribed 
his name, age, office, and death, appropriately sub- 
scribed by the loyal exclamation of submission given 
by the great apostle to the Gentiles : " Christ shall 
be magnified in my body, whether by life or by 
death." 



MRS. FRANCES J. WILEY. 

METHODIST EPISCOPAL MISSION, FUH CHAU. 



By SOPHIA A. H. DOOLITTLE, 

MISSIONARY OP THE A. B. C. F. M. AT FUH CHAU. 




MR*. FKANCEa J WILEY 



xi. Jtaittts $♦ SJBtileg. 



On the third of November, 1853, death removed 
from our midst this excellent servant of God and 
esteemed companion in the missionary work. We 
cannot but think that one so useful in her life, and 
so highly honored of the Lord in her death, deserves 
more than a mere passing notice. 

Frances J. Martin was born in Northumberland 
county, Pennsylvania, on the seventeenth of January, 
1823, and was the youngest daughter of Joseph and 
Sarah Martin. Her father was born in Londonderry, 
Ireland, and was left a lonely orphan at the age of 
seven years, when he was received into the family 
of his grandfather, with whom he remained until he 
was nineteen years of age. At this early age his 
mind began to be filled with golden visions of the 
prospects offered to the young and aspiring in the 
new nation that was rising on the Western continent. 
Alone in the world, having but few ties to bind 
him to the land of his nativity, he determined to seek 
a home and fortune in the New World. He came 
to the United States, and settled for some years, as an 



168 THE MISSION CEMETERY. 

industrious farmer, in Lancaster county, Pennsylva- 
nia. Here he formed the acquaintance of Miss Sarah 
Hueston, with whom he was married in 1808. The 
rich counties of northern Pennsylvania were just then 
beginning to open the great mineral and agricultural 
resources which they have subsequently spread be- 
fore the country with so lavish a hand, and Mr. Mar- 
tin determined to locate here. He secured a tract 
of land in Northumberland County, on which he 
located, with his young family, in 1812, and where he 
remained, an honest, frugal, and prosperous farmer, 
until 1823, when he was suddenly called away to try 
the realities of another world. 

His youngest daughter, Frances, was then but a 
few months old, and was thus left with three sisters 
and three brothers, all yet young, dependent upon 
the care of her widowed mother. But that mother 
was eminently endowed, both by nature and grace, 
for the responsible and onerous charge which rested 
upon her. Of strong, clear mind ; rich in faith and 
in the experience of the things of God ; firm in her 
convictions of duty and of right, yet remarkably 
gentle and affectionate in her manners, she was just 
the mother to take charge of seven orphaned lamb- 
kins, and bring them up for usefulness and for God. 
It was a pious household, and this lonely mother was 
an inheritor of the precious promises of the book of 
God, and these promises were faithfully fulfilled. 
God was a husband to the widow, and a father to her 



M11S. FRANCES J. WILEY. 169 

children. He blessed their home, sheltered them from 
the rude blasts of the world, overshadowed their 
lonely dwelling with his wing, preserved them by his 
Spirit, and restrained them by his grace, and they 
dwelt in peace and prosperity under the roof of the 
old homestead. One by one they grew up to man- 
hood and womanhood, and went forth individually to 
engage in the battle of life, all imbued with virtuous 
and religious principles received from this faithful 
mother, who, as long as she lived, received in return 
their grateful love and devotion. 

Mrs. Martin was a devout Christian and an exem- 
plary mother, and therefore, under circumstances in 
which many widowed mothers fail, she succeeded in 
rearing a family of rare excellence, and forming in 
her seven children characters strong and valuable. 
Each bore the impress of her own molding hand : 
firm, yet gentle ; inflexible in principle, but affec- 
tionate, unselfish, and sympathizing, active, indus- 
trious, and persevering ; formed for success and use- 
fulness in the world, yet strongly imbued with the 
tender and gentle sensibilities of our nature. Such, 
in an eminent degree, was the character of her 
youngest daughter Frances. It was a lovely and 
loving family ; four sisters and three brothers, each 
strong in individual character, and all united in the 
tenderest affection. Seven marked days are pre- 
served in the records of this family ; the days when, 
one after another, these sons and daughters stepped 



1Y0 THE MISSION CEMETERY. 

out of the charmed circle, and went forth from be- 
neath the parental roof to engage in the active duties 
of life ; and one day more than all the others, when, 
in 1848, that venerated mother left them all and went 
to God. These brothers and sisters all still live, ex- 
cept the precious one that sleeps beneath the olive 
trees in the cemetery of Fuh Chau. 

In 1832, at the age of nine years, Frances, with 
her mother, entered into the family of her brother 
Amos, who was then in prosperous business in 
Schuylkill County, Pennsylvania, with whom she 
lived six years, receiving such an education as was 
furnished by the " country school." At the age of 
fifteen she was placed by her brother, contrary to the 
wishes of her mother, in a Catholic institution, under 
the direction of the " Sisters of Mercy," in Potts- 
ville, Pennsylvania, where she remained several 
years, and received an excellent education. Her 
friends justly looked upon this as a dangerous exper- 
iment, and remonstrated with her brother; but to all 
these his reply was, that he had confidence in the 
character of his sister. Such confidence, however 
injudicious in itself, and dangerous in its exercise, 
was a compliment to the early maturity and strength 
of her character ; nor was it misplaced. So far from 
imbibing any errors, or swerving from the faith of 
her parents, she was, in this very institution, brought 
under deep exercise of mind on the subject of exper- 
imental religion, and was driven by the empty relig- 



MRS. FRANCES J. WILEY. 171 

ions forms imposed on the pupils of the school, to 
seek for a religion that possessed more of life and 
power, and that would satisfy the yearnings of the 
soul. Such a religion she found, in the winter of 
1841, at the altar of the Methodist Episcopal Church 
at Pottsville, then under the pastoral care of the Rev. 
J. B. Hagany. She immediately became a member 
of that Church, and continued a growing, active, 
zealous, and devout Christian until she laid down her 
martyr life in China. 

In 1842 she entered into the family of her sister in 
the beautiful valley of the Tuscarora, and engaged 
in teaching. Here she was soon joined by her moth- 
er and the family of her brother. Her beautiful 
character, modest, affectionate, pious and firm, and 
unbending in whatever was good and right as the 
hills of Tuscarora, soon won the love and confidence 
of a large circle of friends. The Methodist Church, of 
which she was a member, was then just forming, and 
spreading its borders through this beautiful valley. 
On a part of the large farm owned by her brother 
and brother-in-law was then being erected the first 
modest frame church in that vicinity, and here, once 
in a fortnight, the earnest preacher would break the 
bread of life to the little flock, finding a home beneath 
her sister's roof, leaving with them his blessing, and 
then leaving them and the small company of the 
Church to take care of themselves until he had again 

swept round the large circuit. In this pioneer work, 
11 



172 THE MISSION CEMETERY. 

and in these forming movements of the infant Church, 
she took an active and valuable part. It was to her 
a labor of love to contribute and to secure contribu- 
tions to the erecting of the chapel, to gather in the 
children of the neighborhood and organize the Sab- 
bath school, to be always found in the class-meeting 
and the prayer-meeting, to visit the sick, to give 
comfort to the poor, to offer encouragement to the 
weak and failing, and to attend to the wants of the 
preacher. Said her brother, who has since found the 
pearl of great price, and taken her place in active 
labors in the Church, and who is foremost in every 
good work throughout the whole circuit : " Through 
the influence of her pious life, her active, constant 
devotion to the Saviour and his cause, more than by 
any other influence, was I led to believe in the 
reality of the Gospel, and to seek and find an interest 
in the blood of Jesus. 

The leading preacher in charge of the circuit at 
that time was the venerable and eccentric Jacob 
Gruber, one of those early pioneers of Methodism, 
mighty in faith, in labors, and in fruits, and who 
seemed so intent upon the Master's work, and so 
absorbed in the theme of the unsearchable riches of 
Christ, and the salvation of perishing sinners, that it 
seemed almost impossible to find an avenue to their 
hearts or touch their sensibilities, except by the cry 
of penitence, or the question, "What must I do to be 
saved?" Such a preacher was Jacob Gruber. He 



MRS. FRANCES J. WILEY. 173 

lived within himself; was a man of one work and one 
purpose. He had no time but to preach the Gospel 
and save souls, and therefore disliked the annoyance of 
forms and conventional customs, and seldom stooped 
to form acquaintances and cultivate friendships. 

It is a proof of the beautiful character of the subject 
of this sketch, and an evidence of its power, that it 
penetrated the hard outside of this eccentric preacher, 
and even his heart, securing for her an intimacy and 
friendship with this venerable man that was granted 
to bat few. Hers was just such a character as would 
suit and please him. Her vigor of thought, her 
strength of principle, her firm, unbending integrity, 
pleased him ; while to find united with these a rare 
gentleness and affectionateness of heart and life, inte- 
rested him, and made him her friend. He did for 
her what he could be rarely prevailed upon to do for 
any. He wrote her long letters of advice and instruc- 
tion, he admitted her to his confidence and friendship, 
he conversed freely with her, he wrote in her album, 
he took her to his home and introduced her to his 
family. In allusion to her connection with the Catholic 
school, and as she thought in expression of his own 
wishes, he called her his "little nun;" and when she 
afterward removed to Lewistown, the place of his 
residence, he watched over her with almost a father's 
tenderness and care, and at last, when he came to die, 
gave her one of the only three daguerreotypes of 
himself that he would permit to be taken. This 



174 THE MISSION CEMETERY. 

memento of the esteem of this venerable and good 
man she carried with her to China, and cherished it 
and the memory of her eccentric friend until death. 

But Miss Martin was not a " nun " either in prin- 
ciple or in purpose. In October, 1846, she was mar- 
ried to Dr. Wiley, whose early desires and training 
had been directed toward the Gospel ministry, but 
who had been diverted from this work by a sudden 
failure of the throat, and who was then engaged in 
the practice of medicine in western Pennsylvania. 
In the following spring Dr. W. and his young wife 
removed to Pottsville, and soon after succeeded in 
laying the foundations of a lucrative practice in Port 
Carbon, one of the outlets of the great coal field of 
Pennsylvania. But the practice of medicine was not 
in itself the work God had in view for his servant ; 
it was only one of the side issues which Providence 
had entailed upon him, to fit him more fully for his 
true work. He was therefore restless in his profes- 
sion. His desires and sense of duty were constantly 
pointing toward the ministry ; his mind found greater 
delight in the study of theology than of medicine, and 
in the cure of souls than of bodies. From early life he 
had looked to the foreign missionary field as his call- 
ing, and had even selected China as the one where he 
would love to labor. Just at this time an urgent call 
came from Fuh Chau for a reinforcement of the young 
mission which the Missionary Society of the Methodist 
Episcopal Church had opened in that city. The Cor- 



MRS. FRANCIS J. WILEY. 175 

responding Secretary addressed a letter to Dr. Wiley, 
inquiring if he would be willing to entertain the 
question of becoming missionary physician in China. 

It came like the voice of Providence. He had told 
no one of his restlesness and of his earnest desires. 
He had not even whispered to his wife that his heart 
was then yearning to enter the missionary field ; yet 
some intelligence had detected the workings of his 
heart, and an invisible hand was opening the door for 
the accomplishment of his long-cherished purposes. 
The letter was laid before his young wife. She was 
then a mother, was in her own home, a home which 
her genial spirit and frugal hands had made happy, 
and in which she had begun to think of spending her 
days in ease and happiness ; she was surrounded by a 
large circle of endeared friends and acquaintances, 
and the world was bright and promising ; yet she 
calmly received from her husband's hands the letter 
that pointed to a heathen land and a missionary life, 
and acted with reference to it as she did with every 
important thing in her life. She calmly read it, 
thought over it, weighed the subject in all its rela- 
tions, prayed over it, reached her conclusion concern- 
ing it, and returned it with the answer, " Where thou 
goest I will go, and thy God shall be my God." 

This was missionary heroism ; an exemplification 
of her noble spirit and of her Christian faith, which, 
in the trying positions of her subsequent missionary 
life, was followed by many similar instances. The 



176 THE MISSION CEMETERY. 

secret of this calm and decisive action with reference 
to a movement so important, was found in her strong 
faith in the Gospel and her full consecration to the 
Redeemer's service. Mrs. "Wiley habitually realized 
that she was not her own, but had been bought with 
a price, and her Christian spirit was ever uttering, 
" Thy will be done." In the present instance duty, 
Christian principle, pious inclination, and present op- 
portunity, pointed to China ; she heard the Master's 
voice and she followed him. 

They were appointed to China. Several months 
were spent in necessary preparation, and on the 13th 
of March, 1851, they embarked for this city, in com- 
pany with Rev. James Colder and wife, and Miss 
Seely. On the 9th of July, in the same year, we wel- 
comed them to our number in Fuh Chau. It was a 
day not to be forgotten by us, who hail with such 
keen relish any one from civilized Christendom, and 
especially Christian co-laborers from our native land. 
After a little consultation, it was thought best that 
Dr. Wiley's family should immediately commence 
housekeeping, occupying the dwelling recently va- 
cated by Rev. J. D. Collins, who had then returned 
to America, and who has since gone to his reward. 
This decision brought with it many immediate cares, 
and a demand for personal labor which a pastor's 
wife in a Christian land, where kind friends are near 
to give timely aid, and whei'e civilization has heaped 
up her arts for domestic need and comfort, cannot 



MBS. FRANCES J. WILEY. 177 

fully understand. Ingenuity must invent, watchful 
care oversee, and personal effort perform, not only 
physical labor, but do this in connection with great 
mental effort in acquiring this difficult language. All 
this makes household duties a great and trying work; 
and for her who frees her husband from domestic 
cares, in order that his time and strength may be 
spent in making known the word of God, this is a 
good work, which will certainly have its reward. 
This was Mrs. AYiley's leading desire, and in this she 
truly excelled. But not to domestic duties only was 
her mind directed ; for during her short missionary 
life she did much for the spiritual good of the heathen 
over whom she held an influence, and her faithfulness 
in this part of her labor can only be fully known and 
rewarded in that bright land to which she has gone. 

On the 30th of ^November, a few months after her 
arrival at Fuh Chau, she gave birth to a daughter. 
During the first days of her illness the open and ex- 
posed condition of the house caused her to take cold, 
in consequence of which she was confined to bed 
about eight weeks with acute rheumatism, which was 
followed by a very painful and obstinate affection, 
which did much to break up her constitution, and 
there was even then much danger of a fatal termina- 
tion. During this long-continued suffering great 
meekness and patience, and much sweet communion 
with God, were her characteristics and her strong 
fortress. "When others feared, she manifested perfect 



178 THE MISSION CEMETERY. 

resignation to the will of God, either to live or to die 
as he might please. 

In April, 1852, after all medical prescription had 
been tried in vain, she was called upon to consider 
the question of returning to America, or, at least, of 
taking a sea voyage, as the only hope of recovery. 
She freely conversed with her husband on the sub- 
ject ; but, with striking devotion and resignation, 
finally concluded that she preferred to remain at Fuh 
Chau, and die when her heavenly Father should 
please, than be the means of severing him from the 
work in which she saw his heart so deeply interested, 
and only for the uncertain relief which might be hoped 
for from a sea voyage. This was a question which 
involved large interests, over which much prayer had 
been offered, and to which many serious hours of 
consideration had been devoted ; and when she had 
arrived at the conclusion to remain, both felt that it 
was the work of the Lord, and praised God for the 
grace he had given them in his providence. The re- 
sult showed the decision to be a correct one ; and 
soon after her health began to improve, and during 
the following year (except occasional attacks of her 
painful malady) she enjoyed comfortable health, and 
rejoiced in the conclusion she had made, feeling that 
God, being satisfied with the trial of her faith, had 
arrested the progress of disease and prolonged her life. 

Her heart and faith were destined, however, to ex- 
perience another trial. Her watchful eye soon de- 



MES. FRANCES J. WILEY. 179 

tected the evidences of failing health in her husband. 
At this time the character of one " who looketh well 
to the ways of her household " manifested itself in all 
its loveliness and excellence in her. In every possi- 
ble way she endeavored to lighten his duties and re- 
lieve his sufferings. But notwithstanding all her at- 
tentions, in September, 1852, he was confined to bed 
with a severe attack of dysentery, threatening his life. 
For six weeks her sympathizing heart was wrung with 
anxiety, forgetting her own feebleness, and becoming 
completely absorbed in her attentions to him. Dur- 
ing the day she was constantly near him, anticipat- 
ing his every wish, and lightening with her own gen- 
tle hand the pains and anxieties incident to the se- 
vere affection under which he labored. At night she 
only yielded her place at his bedside at the earnest 
solicitation of missionary friends, who stood ready to 
relieve her, if possible, in some degree. During ten 
days, while all hope of her husband's recovery was 
despaired of, she exhibited that Christian courage, 
fortitude, and meek resignation which shone as stars 
in her character. She scarcely thought of herself, or 
of the trying situation in which she would be placed 
by her husband's death. Her widowhood, her lone- 
liness and desolation in a heathen land, even the 
wants and interests of her children, all seemed to be 
forgotten in her devotedness to her husband, and in 
her deep interest in his soul's welfare at that trying 
hour. She talked with him freely of his prospects in 



180 THE MISSION CEMETERY. 

death, prayed with him, read to him, wept and re- 
joiced with him; constantly calling away his thoughts 
from dwelling upon the trying situation of her and 
her children, to fix them upon God, the Saviour, and 
heaven. Her joy was inexpressible when he began 
to recover. Day after day she poured forth her grat- 
itude to God with tearful eyes and a swelling heart ; 
and the many letters which she then wrote to her 
friends were largely made up of thankfulness and 
praise to God for sparing to her her loved companion. 
The succeeding winter was one of great domestic 
happiness and religious enjoyment, and she delighted 
to spend its quiet hours in prayer and praise. This 
winter was the last, and, as she said, the happiest of 
her life. The severe illness and merciful recovery of 
her husband had revealed to herself the depth of her 
affection for her little family, and it became her de- 
light to watch over their wants with the tenderness 
of a devoted wife and the affection of a tender and 
gentle mother. A cheerful and happy heart, the gen- 
tleness of her disposition, and the activity of her sym- 
pathies, had secured for herself a happy home, and 
had won the esteem and love of all about her. She 
was ever desirous to benefit the heathen around her, 
and had already acquired considerable of the spoken 
language, though, in her own estimation, not sufficient 
to take the charge of a school; consequently they 
formed the plan of taking native children into their 
family to be trained under their immediate super- 



MRS. FRANCES J. WILEY. 181 

vision. This pleased Mrs. Wiley much. A plan by 
which this might be effected was drawn up, and sanc- 
tioned by the mission. In December they succeeded 
in obtaining two promising boys, about fifteen years 
of age. They soon became greatly attached to Mrs. 
Wiley, who spent much time in teaching them to read 
and speak the English language ; and they always 
seemed to listen with affectionate attention when she 
endeavored to convey to their minds the precious 
truths of our religion in their own tongue. To her 
Chinese woman she was devotedly attached and ever 
faithful, teaching her many useful things, and often 
and earnestly conversing with her about the great 
interests of her immortal soul. In her private devo- 
tions these members of her family were often a sub- 
ject of special prayer, and in family worship, in 
which she was often pleased to take the lead, she 
manifested great earnestness in her petitions for them. 
Her heart was deeply interested in the missionary 
work ; and when the state of her husband's health 
caused them to fear they would be obliged to leave the 
field, she prayed the more earnestly that they might 
both be restored to health, and permitted to remain. 

In the spring of 1853 the news of the rapid and 
successful progress of the rebellion in China began 
to reach us at Fuh Chau, and another trial awaited 
Mrs. Wiley. For awhile much excitement prevailed 
among the people here, and some of the foreign resi- 
dents began to fear it would soon become dangerous 



182 THE MISSION CEMETERY. 

to remain at Fuh Chau. The ladies of the mission to 
which Mrs. Wiley belonged participated much in 
these fears ; and as the danger seemed to grow more 
threatening, the two other families of the mission felt 
it their duty to leave Fuh Chau, to seek safety and 
quietness at some other port, and in May began to 
make preparations for leaving. This was for a time 
a sore trial to her. Her husband, in consequence of 
delicate health, had already been urged to seek relief 
by taking a voyage to some other port ; the progress 
and result of the rebellion could not be foretold, and 
no one could predict the circumstances in which 
foreign residents might be placed in case of an insur- 
rection at Fuh Chau. Mrs. "Wiley, however, consid- 
ered the case of her husband more embarrassing 
than her own ; and seeing that he could not decide 
to leave, and that the missionaries of the other Boards 
had concluded to remain, and meet the unknown 
events before them, she was anxious to remain till 
dangers should at least assume a more threatening 
character. The eighth of May, when the subject 
came before her mind for a final decision, was a day 
of much prayer, followed by a sleepless but prayerful 
night. In the morning she felt that the path of duty 
was plain, and her mind was clear upon this point. 
She decided to remain. Her husband, knowing the 
question to be an important one, and one which 
involved the feelings and safety of his beloved com- 
panion more than his own, left the decision almost 



MRS. FRANCES J. WILEY. 183 

entirely to the workings of her own mind. On the 
twelfth of May the other two families of the mission 
left for Hong Kong. How could it be otherwise than 
a severe stroke to the affectionate feelings of a heart 
so capable of the highest degree of friendship and 
love, thus hastily to be separated from her female 
companions of her own mission, with one of whom 
she had crossed the sea, and to whom she had become 
warmly and intimately attached? The separation gave 
her many sad hours, from which she only found relief 
in frequent prayer, and in meek resignation to the 
will of Him in whose hands she had placed her all. 

The dwelling which Dr. Wiley and family had 
hitherto occupied had been frequently visited, and 
once or twice entered by night thieves, bold and 
successful robbers, who much infest Fuh Chau in the 
winter season. The removal of one of the mission 
families from the same neighborhood left their dwell- 
ing in quite an exposed and lonely situation ; and 
they therefore concluded that their peace and safety 
would be better secured by removing to one of the 
vacant houses of the American Board Mission, located 
in a more thickly inhabited district. This house 
had been partially abandoned by our mission as a 
residence, and was somewhat dilapidated ; and they 
soon found that it was very warm and uncomfortable, 
and when the melting heat of our summer had fully 
set in, it was verv evident that the health of both 
Dr. and Mrs. Wiley was rapidly failing. Mrs. Wiley 



184 THE MISSION CEMETERY. 

again became much troubled with her obstinate affec- 
tion ; and with the hope of obtaining some temporary 
relief from the scorching heat they, with another mis- 
sionary family, made an excursion in July on the river. 
This proved a delightful recreation, and had a happy 
influence on the mind and body of our dear friend ; so 
much so, that later in the month they attempted to 
avail themselves again of the invigorating sea air 
blowing about the mouth of the river. 

This proved an unfortunate movement ; for soon 
after reaching the anchorage a fearful typhoon, ac- 
companied with drenching rain, came on, rendering 
their situation, in their rude Chinese boat, not only 
uncomfortable, but exposed and dangerous. For 
nine days they were closely confined to their boat, 
during which time the wind, with the strength of a 
hurricane, blew over them. The rain poured down 
in torrents, and the river, overflowing its banks, 
spread over a large extent of low land around them, 
placing them in the midst of a wide-spreading and 
angry flood. There was no possibility of escaping 
from this perilous situation ; nor could any Chinaman 
be persuaded to launch his boat upon the threatening 
river, and go to their relief. " Here," says her hus- 
band, " Mrs. Wiley exhibited prominently two strik- 
ing traits of her character — patience and fortitude 
in the midst of trials over which she could have no 
control." Though their situation was one of great 
discomfort and peril, she exhibited the same cheerful 



MRS. FRANCES J. WILEY. 185 

and resigned spirit which so often appeared in her 
character in trying circumstances. After the ninth 
day the wind greatly abated, and the clouds began 
to clear away somewhat, though heavy showers of 
rain continued, and the river still was fearfully high. 
They concluded, however, to make an effort to reach 
Fuh Chan, and were able, after some search, to find 
two Chinese, who, with their small row boat, were 
willing to try to ascend the rapid stream. They had 
scarcely embarked on the little boat, on which, with 
their children, they were crowded into a very small 
space, when it began to rain heavily. They had a 
tedious passage to Fuh Chan, not reaching the suburbs 
till ten at night ; and at that hour all the street gates 
were closed, rendering it impossible for them to leave 
their little boat. The rain continued, and the night 
was fearfully dark, while the current near the city be- 
came so strong that they were obliged to make their 
boat fast in a small eddy, and make the best they 
could of their close quarters for the night. Fortu- 
nately the boat had a close cover, which defended 
them from the rain, but could not keep out the cold, 
damp air, in which they passed a sleepless night. 

Both the Dr. and Mrs. Wiley soon suffered seri- 
ously from the effects of this exposure. Mrs. Wiley 
w T as soon attacked by a recurrence of her disease, 
from which she never again recovered. Her husband's 
health failed rapidly, and they were both confined 
much of the time during the months of August and 



186 THE MISSION CEMETERY. 

September to their beds; and finally, after much 
consultation, prayer, and reflection, they decided to 
leave Fuh Chau, and seek restoration of health by 
traveling to another port, or, if necessary, by return- 
ing to their native land. All of us at that time, and 
especially Mrs. Wiley, thought the change necessary 
more on her husband's account than her own. " How 
easy," says her husband, " was it for all of us to be 
deceived! Free from all selfishness, and constantly 
thinking and doing more for the wants and sufferings 
of others than for herself, her mind could easily over- 
look the symptoms of serious disease appearing in her 
own person, and ever uncomplaining, others were 
saved from those fears which otherwise would have 
been excited." Still she suffered much during the 
summer, often requiring medical attention, and often 
causing the heart of her husband to shudder at what 
might be the result of her suffering. 

In September the affection with which she had 
been so much troubled in China assumed a more 
threatening character, and medicine no longer seemed 
to exert any control over it. Still, as she and her 
family were all ready to leave Fuh Chau as soon as 
an opportunity presented, we all hoped that the 
bracing sea air would arrest the disease, and her life 
be prolonged. But God willed it otherwise ; no 
opportunity for leaving occurred, and her disease 
marched steadily on toward a fatal consummation. 
On Friday, the 14th of October, she gave premature 



MRS. FRANCES J. WILEY. 187 

birth to a child. Her husband, as well as others, 
began then to feel her case to be hopeless, and we 
trembled for the result. Her anxious companion 
watched her, if possible, with more intense anxiety 
and care, and was somewhat encouraged to find that 
she had for several days escaped those alarming 
results which we feared would at once end her life. 
Some slight hopes were now entertained of her recov- 
ery ; but at the end of another week it became evi- 
dent that she still was sinking. She was already much 
wasted, and her debilitating disease — chronic diarrhoea 
— continued the work of emaciation in despite of the 
most diligent and careful application of food and medi- 
cine. On Thursday, October 27, a sudden change in 
her disease rendered it evident that she could not live ; 
and from that time she sank gradually till, on Thurs- 
day afternoon, November 3, she fell asleep in Jesus. 

And now what shall I say of the last days of our 
beloved sister ? To dwell upon all the pleasant and 
hope-inspiring incidents of her triumphant death 
would swell this article to too great a length ; to pass 
them by with a very brief notice would be a wrong 
to our holy Christianity, which is able to impart such 
peace and joy in the dying hour. During her last 
sickness her mind dwelt much on death. From the 
first she frequently said she must soon have relief or 
she must die. Still she had some hope of recovery 
till the birth of her little one, after which she thought 

she would not recover, and began to put her house 

12 



188 THE MISSION CEMETERY. 

in order. On the Thursday preceding her death she 
became convinced she would die. Her husband 
talked with her respecting the prospects of her case, 
and communicated to her his fears that she could not 
survive. She replied, with much calmness, that she 
had been thinking so, and requested him to pray 
with her and for her. He asked her if she had strong 
desires to live. She said her desires for life were not 
very strong ; that she was willing to die ; but, if it 
were God's will, she would be pleased to live for the 
sake of her dear family. During the following Friday 
and Saturday her mind was much engaged in prayer. 
When asked if she felt prepared to die, she replied, 
"Eot fully prepared." Her anxious husband then 
asked if death had any terrors to her mind. " O no," 
said she ; " I know God will give me the victory 
through our Lord Jesus Christ. I do not fear to die ; 
but I would like more joy and bliss in dying." She 
then asked him to read to her from the Bible, and 
sought for passages speaking of the great work of the 
Redeemer, and calculated to lead the soul to Christ. 
Her husband read to her some passages speaking of 
the hopes of the dying Christian and of the glories of 
heaven, when she said: "O my dear, I know heaven is 
all glorious. God has taken care of all that. Read me 
passages which speak about Christ, which will lead 
right to Jesus. My soul can only find rest in Christ." 
On Sabbath morning Mr. "Welton, of the Church 
of England Mission, and her husband visited her in 



MRS. FRANCES J. WILEY. 189 

consultation. They felt there was no chance of 
recovery, and it became the duty of the former to 
communicate to her their opinion. After Mr. Wei- 
ton told her there was no possibility of her getting 
well she gave up all hope of life, and at once became 
happy in the prospect of death. Her first exclama- 
tion after receiving this information, which strikes 
dismay into the hearts of so many, was : " O how 
much better to die here than return to America ! I 
shall soon be with God and my friends in heaven, 
instead of being with my friends at home." Her 
soul was exceeding joyful in the prospect of death. 
She said she would love to send many messages to 
her relatives and friends, but was too weak. " Tell 
them," she said, "that I die in great peace ; that the 
Saviour is very precious ; that though I have endured 
many trials and afflictions in China, I have never re- 
gretted coming to this heathen land ; that if I pos- 
sessed another life I would willingly devote it to the 
same work." She then praised God, repeating fre- 
quently, "Precious Saviour! precious Saviour! glory 
to God in the highest !" She spoke very affection- 
ately of her dear little ones ; praised God for giving 
them to her, and said she felt they were precious 
gifts from the hand of God, and that she would love 
to live and train them for him ; and then with great 
calmness gave some brief orders about herself and her 
effects after death. In the afternoon she wished some 
of the friends to meet for singing and prayer in the 



190 THE MISSION CEMETERY. 

adjoining room, requesting they would pray that 
God would give her grace to die in peace and to 
his glory. As they sang, 

" On Jordan's stormy banks I stand," 

she exclaimed, " Stand by me till I land !" A dear 
friend who was much with her participating most 
deeply in the happy prospects which seemed ever 
before the mind of the dying saint, said : " I almost 
feel as though I must go with you ;" when she replied : 
"Perhaps your time has not yet come. The Lord has 
a work for you to do here ; but maybe he needs me 
up there." Often during the singing and prayer she 
exclaimed, " How precious ! O how precious !" and 
praised the Saviour for drawing so very near to her. 

In the evening her eldest daughter came to bid 
her " good-night." The presence of her precious 
child awakened all the tender feelings of the affec- 
tionate mother. She addressed a few words of en- 
couragement and exhortation to her, and said : " JSTow 
kiss me good-night, for mamma is about to die. To- 
night Adah will kiss me good-by; then, after many 
years, perhaps, when Adah has grown to be a 
woman, and has given her heart to God, and lived to 
his glory, then some time Adah will fall asleep and 
wake up in heaven, and find her long-lost mother : 
with what joy will we meet to part no more ?" Dur- 
ing Sabbath afternoon she frequently said that death 
had no terrors, and she had no desire to live, and 



MRS. FRANCES J. WILEY. 191 

spoke of her death and burial with much minuteness 
and great composure, as though about entering upon 
a brief but delightful voyage. How often she re- 
peated the words : " My only hope is in Christ ; O 
how could I die without Christ ! he is a precious 
Saviour !" She also said : " I look away from myself, 
and look to Jesus, then I have great peace." But 
we cannot repeat all the precious words which flowed 
from her full and happy heart. It was truly a pre- 
cious privilege to be with her. Her countenance con- 
stantly wore a pleasant and lovely expression while 
these words of peace and joy fell from her lips. One 
could not be with her without feeling that she was 
very near heaven. During Sabbath night her mind 
wandered greatly ; but during her occasional periods 
of reason she manifested great peace. 

On Monday morning her mind was freed from the 
wanderings of disease, and the day passed in a state 
of heavenly calmness. She spoke of going where she 
would be free from sin and sorrow, and said : " I 
should like to go home soon, but God's will be done !" 
Many precious passages of Scripture were strongly 
impressed on her mind, giving her much consolation 
and support. The declaration of our blessed Saviour 
in Mark x, 29, 30, was applied to her case with pecu- 
liar force and much comfort. The language of the 
Psalmist : " Though I walk through the valley and 
shadow of death," etc. ; the Saviour's words in John 
xiv, 2, 3 : " In my Father's house are many mansions," 



192 THE MISSION CEMETERY. 

etc., were ricli in consolation; and the last clause of 
the passage, " that where I am, ye may be also," she 
frequently repeated. On the previous evening, feel- 
ing that she would most probably die during the 
night, she had bid farewell with a very dear female 
friend. That friend returned again to see her in the 
morning, when she said: "I am still here, but some 
morning you will come and find that I have gone ; 
but fear not, some morning you will find me again in 
that better world." Her little ones being again 
brought to her, she exhibited much affectionate feel- 
ing, and spoke to the eldest one in encouraging lan- 
guage, telling her not to weep, that her mother was 
going to heaven to be with Jesus. Again she com- 
mended them to God, and requested her husband to 
present them to her friends as two precious treasures 
which God had given her. This idea of her children 
being peculiarly the gift of God, was a prominent one 
in the mind of Mrs. Wiley, and exerted a strong in- 
fluence over all her intercourse with them. She 
viewed them not as hers, but as God's — as sacred 
trusts which he had deposited in her care. When 
asked at this time if she felt desirous to depart and 
be with Christ, she replied : " O yes ; but I am in no 
hurry ; to-day or to-morrow, when God shall please, 
will do for the welcome messenger to come." One 
of the little native boys who had been living in their 
family, and in whom Mrs. Wiley had taken a deep 
interest, came to see her this morning. She spoke a 



MRS. FRANCES J. WILEY. 193 

short time to him in Chinese in words of affectionate 
exhortation and encouragement, but soon found that 
the effort exhausted her strength. She then gave her 
husband several kind messages to interpret to him. 
The little fellow was much affected, declared his con- 
fidence in the power of Jesus to save, and promised 
to believe on him, that he also might go to heaven. 

During most of the day on Tuesday she was in 
perfect possession of her mind. This was a happy 
day. A heavenly sweetness seemed to prevail around 
her. She felt that she was almost home. Though 
tarrying with us, and blessing us by her peaceful and 
happy presence, she appeared to live in heaven. 
About noon she thought the hour of her deliverance 
had come, and called us into the room to pray with 
her. During the prayer she manifested much joyful 
feeling and great confidence in God, praising him for 
enabling her to die so sweetly. It was, indeed, a 
blessed privilege to witness death so completely di- 
vested of its sting, and the grave of its victory. 
During the night and the following day her intellect 
was much affected. On "Wednesday a calm expression 
settled upon her countenance, and a peaceful smile 
gathered around her lips ; and thus was passed the 
day, without scarcely speaking, a word. In the even- 
ing her mind became more actively delirious, and she 
talked incessantly during the night, her wanderings 
being of a happy and innocent character, indicative 
of the deep peace which prevailed in her soul. On 



194 THE MISSION CEMETERY. 

Thursday her reason did not again return ; but her 
wanderings ceased, and her strength began to give 
way, and we felt that our dear friend was dying. 
She continued to sink away gradually and softly, free 
from all pain, and about four and a half o'clock in the 
afternoon she gently fell asleep in Jesus. Her sweet 
spirit, gentle in life, gentle in death, had peacefully 
gone to be forever with the Lord. Nearly all our 
little missionary board, with several natives, includ- 
ing her teacher and her woman, stood around her 
bed in silence, with tearful eyes and sad hearts, yet 
rejoicing in this perfect triumph of grace through 
the redeeming love of Christ. It was a beautiful 
day ; a soft and mellow atmosphere prevailed around ; 
an atmosphere of love and heaven filled the room ; 
and thus, in the midst of befitting circumstances, her 
spirit passed away ; and we saw by an eye of faith 
the angel-messengers, and the company which no man 
could number, and Jesus, the glory of the heavenly 
city, ready to welcome her to a home in heaven. 

There is another very interesting and encouraging 
incident connected with the death of our dear friend 
which we feel unwilling to pass by. This was the 
presence and devotion of her faithful Chinese woman. 
She is a young married woman, of excellent charac- 
ter, and had lived with Mrs. Wiley a little more than 
two years, and had been as faithful and devoted a 
servant as she had found an affectionate and gentle 
mistress. They had frequently talked together of 



MES. FRANCES J. WILEY. 195 

death, of God, and of the Saviour, and a mutual 
strong attachment had sprung up between them. 
During the last days of Mrs. Wiley's illness this faith- 
ful woman was almost constantly at her side, eager to 
know and gratify every wish. During the day of 
her death she stood by her bedside all the time in 
the deepest distress, holding the hand of her dying 
friend, and, in a peculiarly affectionate Chinese 
movement, gently rubbing her limbs, while she was 
sobbing with grief, and the tears were flowing con- 
stantly from her eyes. At length when death came, 
and the spirit of our sister had gone, she wept as if 
her heart would break ; and when we kneeled down 
to pray, she fell upon her knees close by the side of 
the bereaved husband, at the bedside of her loved 
friend, and we could not but feel that she was really 
his nearest companion in grief. May we not hope 
that God will sanctify this dispensation of his provi- 
dence to her, and make it one means of leading her 
heart to that Saviour who gave so peaceful a death to 
one she had so much loved ! 

We need add but little in illustration of the char- 
acter of our departed sister. We might easily swell 
this article to a much greater length by dwelling 
upon the excellent traits which were exhibited in her 
life, and it would be a delightful office to recall many 
precious reminiscences of our cherished intercourse 
with her. Deep humility, gentleness and sweetness of 
disposition, active and far-reaching sympathies, meek- 



196 THE MISSION CEMETERY. 

ness, resignation, and fortitude, combined with the most 
unwavering faith in our Bedeemer, were the traits 
which rendered her life so useful, which so greatly 
endeared her to all who knew her, and which gave 
such interest to the scenes connected with her last 
hours. This character shone most beautifully on her 
death-bed. During the whole of her sickness she 
was in a cheerful and thankful frame of mind. Every 
kind office performed for her was received with ex- 
pressions of thankfulness, and almost invariably with 
a cheerful smile. A warm flannel applied to her 
body, a cup of fresh, warm tea, or an agreeable arti- 
cle of food, always elicited her thanks to the giver, 
and expressions of gratitude to God for the many 
comforts afforded her in her afflictions. 

I cannot refrain from noting the following little 
incident, which illustrates so much of her character. 
Bathing her feverish face and hands in cold water 
was peculiarly refreshing to her, and often drew from 
her earnest expressions of thanks. On one occasion, 
while her husband was performing this grateful office, 
she said to him : " O how sorry I am I did not know 
that this was so refreshing to the sick : I might have 
given you so much comfort when you were sick a 
year ago. But I did not know ; and then you were 
not so low as I am." " No," replied her husband, 
" I was not so low as you are." " Well," said she, 
" God's will be done ; I only wish to do and suffer 
his will." 



MRS. ANNA M. WENTWORTH. 

METHODIST EPISCOPAL MISSION, FLU CHAP. 



By Rev. D. D. LORE, 

OV TUB NEWAttK CONFKF.EXCE. 




MRS. ANNA M. WENTWORTH. 



rs. %vm ft. gSUttttoortjj. 

METHODIST EPISCOPAL MISSION, FI7H OHAU. 



The American Church has been greatly honored 
by its female missionaries. The names of many 
among them are imperishable, and their memories 
are as ointment poured forth. Our Christian women 
have gone everywhere ; have made every sacrifice 
for Christ and humanity's sake, not counting their 
lives dear unto them. In this volume only a few of 
these spiritual gems are set, sparkling in all their 
beauty and brilliancy ; adornments of the bride of 
the Lamb, reflecting light upon the Church of God. 
We come with our jewel for this casket, which is one 
of rare excellence. 

Anna M., the daughter of J. J. Lewis, Esq., and 
wife of Rev. Dr. Wentworth, was the youngest of 
this devoted band of Christian missionaries. Her 
work was short. Her footsteps merely marked her 
field of toil to show the way from thence to heaven. 
She greeted the heathen land with a smile, bade it an 
affectionate farewell, and passed on over Jordan, 
leaving her co-laborers gazing after her as an angel 



202 THE MISSION CEMETERY. 

visitant. The subject of this sketch was born in 
West Chester, Pa., on the 11th of June, 1829. Nor 
did that month of bloom, amid its numberless bursting 
buds, produce one more bright and fragrant than 
Anna M. Lewis. Her home was beautifully situated 
in one of the richest farming districts of her native 
state, only two miles distant from the Brandy wine 
River, the loveliest of streams to those who, in child- 
hood, have plucked flowers from its banks, and heard 
its stories of Revolutionary heroism, and its legends 
of Indian life and war. 

Here, amid the quiet spirit-talk of nature, Anna's 
young life was passed, and, as is perfectly natural 
amid such surroundings, her mind early became con- 
templative and imbued with a love of nature. These 
characteristics were ever after prominent: contem- 
plative in habit, and loving and communing with 
nature. 

Anna was further blessed with the excellent influ- 
ences of a pious home circle. Mother, the presiding 
spirit in a group of little ones, molds in moral form 
and beauty, and trains and strengthens in principle, 
the characters developed around her. In this circle 
piety and intelligence combined presided. The fam- 
ily training was a practical one. Religion was 
taught as a life of usefulness, the influence of which 
was early manifested by Anna in an earnest desire 
to do something ; and being the eldest of a large 
family of children, she had the opportunity of prac- 



MRS. ANNA M. WENTWORTH. 203 

ticing it. Activity was a marked characteristic 
through life. 

In this Christian home there was also the addition- 
al advantage of witnessing the power of religion in 
suffering; and seen under no other aspect can re- 
ligion make so deep an impression of its worth and 
loveliness. And the example here was the most fa- 
vorable one. The sufferer was the mother, always 
in feeble health from the earliest recollection of her 
first-born ; and the piety was of that patient, confiding, 
cheerful type that sits and sings : 

" With Thee conversing, we forget 

All time, and toil, and care ; 
Labor is rest, and pain is sweet, 

If thou, my Lord, art near." 

How much this suffering glorified Christ, and rec- 
ommended religion, and influenced the heart and 
mind of Anna to choose the good part, cannot be 
known. But it must have done much. This state 
of health also brought the daughter into early and 
immediate importance to her mother. She was the 
ministering angel at her bedside ; she shared her 
counsels, and performed duties and bore responsibili- 
ties from which, under other circumstances, she 
would have been free. This called forth, and rapid- 
ly developed, all the tender qualities of her heart, and 
gave a maturity to thought and habit beyond her 
years. These features were strikingly exhibited in 
Anna's after life. 



204 THE MISSION CEMETERY. 

The circumstances here enumerated were all form- 
ative influences, natural and powerful in their ef- 
fects, producing those excellences of character pos- 
sessed by the subject of this sketch. But in addition 
to these, and above them all, was the early washing 
of regeneration, and the renewing of the Holy Ghost. 
The swelling bud of character was rounded into form, 
and the opening flower developed, under the sancti- 
fying influences of the grace of God. In the fourteenth 
year of her age, while under the sheltering wing of 
home, Anna sought and found the forgiveness of sin, 
and the renewal of her moral nature. From that 
hour she entered upon that higher life hid with 
Christ in God. This blessed change was experienced 
on the 12th of November, 1842, during a season of re- 
vival, under the ministry of Rev. Mr. Nicholson, who 
has also entered upon his heavenly reward. 

One of Anna's earliest and most intimate friends 
writes concerning this period and event : " "We were 
thrown very much together, and many a serious talk 
we had about the impressions we received at Sabbath 
school; but it was not until the revival in the Method- 
ist Episcopal Church during Mr. Nicholson's min- 
istry that they became deep enough to induce us to 
give our hearts to Him who said, ' They that seek me 
early shall find me.' How indelibly all that trans- 
pired then is stamped on my memory. It was at a 
Saturday night prayer-meeting that Anna received the 
small beginnings of grace which afterward shone so 



MRS. ANNA M. WENT WORTH. 205 

beautifully in her life. Some one came to me saying 
Anna wanted me. I found her whole countenance 
lighted up with the blessed change, and while tears 
of joy bedewed her face, she exclaimed : ' O Annie ! 
help me to praise the Lord ;' and then, in the beau- 
tiful words of the Psalmist, her full heart found utter- 
ance : ' Bless the Lord, O my soul, and all that is 
within me bless his holy name !' " 

Here we have a satisfactory and Scriptural conver- 
sion. In view of her youth, and the solemnity and 
responsibility of Church membership, it was thought 
advisable by her parents that she should postpone her 
Church connection for the present, and test her new- 
born experience in daily life. Accordingly this step 
was deferred until her ensuing birthday; yet in the 
mean time she was diligent in the use of all the means 
of grace, and, the same friend writes, " always occu- 
pying the seat in the corner, rendered so dear to her 
as the place where God met her." Her fourteenth 
birthday, the 11th of June, 1843, was a memorable 
day to Anna. On that clay she gave herself to the 
visible Church of Christ, was baptized in the name 
of the Holy Trinity, approached the table of the Lord, 
and received for the first time the tokens of his bro- 
ken body and shed blood. It was a day of sealing 
unto a life of Christian labor first, and then to eternal 
redemption ; both of which results are already re- 
alized. 

She commenced her work at once. Her friend 

13 



206 THE MISSION" CEMETERY. 

writes: "The missionary spirit showed itself very 
early. I can remember many conversations about 
the heathen, and her earnest desire, if she grew up, 
to become a teacher among them. She carried a 
missionary subscription for a long time. Many a 
trudge through the snow and rain we have had 
together, while she collected the monthly contribu- 
tions for poor old Mr. B. I remember, too, her de- 
voting her afternoons to the care of the sick children 
of a poor woman, who was anxiously inquiring after 
the way of life, that she might attend church. While 
others of her own age were taking amusement in the 
plays of girlhood, Anna sat in the room of squalid 
poverty, soothing fretful children by her gentleness 
and pleasant stories." 

Early in the year 1815 she was sent to the Wil- 
mington Female Collegiate Institute. This was her 
first removal from the fostering influences of home. 
It was the first severe test of character, of Christian 
character especially. A boarding school is a fiery fur- 
nace to the young student. How Anna's Christian 
character bore this test, we have the best account 
from a schoolmate. She writes : " The record of her 
Christian life is spotless. Upon entering college, she 
resolutely took a stand for God and kept it. Some- 
times almost alone, and never more than feebly sup- 
ported by Christian sympathy, she was unwearied in 
well-doing. Her faith always soared heavenward. 
Each succeeding Sabbath, in her seat at class-meet- 



MRS. AOA M. WENTWORTH. 207 

ing, her words were such as to lift up the hands that 
hung down. At our social prayer-meetings her sim- 
ple fervor, faithful, bold appeals to the throne of 
grace, were answered to many a waiting soul by 
mercy obtained and grace afforded to help in time 
of need. When strengthened by times of refresh- 
ing from the presence of the Lord, she was not 
therefore the less vigilant, the less watchful unto 
prayer. Hers was not a religion that 

11 Stood the storms when waves "were rough, 

But in a sunny hour fell off, 
Like ships that have gone down at sea 
TVhen heaven was all tranquillity." 

Her mind was stayed upon the Lord, and the conse- 
quence was her peace flowed like a river. If dark- 
ness began to gather on her spiritual sky, before the 
cloud became larger than a man's hand she went to 
Him before whose presence the darkness is dispersed 
and the shadows flee away. If she lacked wisdom, 
she asked of Him who "giveth liberally and upbraid- 
eth not." Her doubts were all resolved by the 
"Wonderful, Counselor." Acknowledging God in 
all her ways, she could claim to have her paths di- 
rected by him. 

The following extracts from her own pen show her 
religious character, and her interest in the cause of 
Christ at this time. Of a revival, in connection with 
the school, she writes : "The second Sunday evening 
of the meeting, the weather being too unpleasant for 



208 THE MISSION CEMETERY. 

us to attend Church, Mr. P. (the principal of the 
school) allowed us to have a prayer-meeting among 
ourselves at home. Two of the girls were converted 
that night, and the work then and there begun has 
been going on ever since, It has not been quite 
three weeks since, and yet about twenty-five have 
made a profession of religion. Don't you think 
we must have joyous times ? We have been greatly 
blessed, and know not how to be thankful enough for 
our blessings. But the revival has not been' confined 
to the school ; although the girls set the example, a 
great many others have followed it, and the altar has 
been crowded night after night ever since." 

These extracts present us with a Christian charac- 
ter of no ordinary type for a school-girl. We find 
the same purity, fervor, and consistency here, sur- 
rounded by all the excitements and enticements of a 
large school, as when we traced the footsteps of the 
youthful Christian through the quiet streets of the 
country village on her errands of mercy for the poor 
and the sick. Anna's religion bore the test. 

With natural abilities far above mediocrity, and 
the regulating influence of religion, we are prepared 
to expect more than ordinary success as a student. 
Anna was naturally ambitious to excel, added to 
which was indomitable perseverance. Such must 
succeed. The schoolmate already quoted says : 

" As a scholar she was without a peer in college. 
In every department she excelled. When compo- 



MRS. AN1STA M. WENTWORTII. 209 

sitions were read, however listless and forced the 
attention that had been given to previous readers, 
Anna always commanded a universal attitude of in- 
terest, a brightening, intelligent eye, and responsive 
appreciating glances. In recitations she was rarely 
at fault. In matters legitimately within the province 
of reason, what shallower and less carefully trained 
minds received with unquestioning faith she refused 
credence to, unless sustained by a sufficiency, if not 
an opulence of evidence. Authority made a thing 
probable, but not certain to her. 

"Loving music with all the earnestness of her nature, 
it is not wonderful that she excelled as a performer. 
Her musical abilities were the pride of the whole 
school, and challenged the admiration of all who 
heard her. She was indispensable on parlor even- 
ings. Should indisposition, or the paralyzing timidity 
of some tyro in the art divine, incapacitate one of the 
performers, there needed therefore be no failure in the 
performance. Professor G. was willing to trust Anna 
with an entirely new part. I well remember her 
exclamation, after having played with inspiration 
almost some beautiful variations of Herz : ' If such 
a wish be not of the earth, earthy, I want to play 
that upon my harp when I get to heaven .' 

" Plutarch says : ' Censure is a tax which all must 
pay for being eminent ;' but the word of God de- 
clares, ' When a man's ways please the Lord, he 
maketh even his enemies to be at peace with him.' 



210 THE MISSION CEMETEEY. 

Anna was thus blessed. Notwithstanding her mental 
and moral superiority, she was a favorite in the 
school. One waited in vain for a word of detraction, 
for a disparaging ' but.' "No compensatory weakness 
was placed in the other balance. Her jealousy-dis- 
arming appearance, her unpretending yet dignified 
manner, quietly dissipated every unworthy feeling, 
and right willingly we all acquiesced in the gentle 
rule which held all hearts in subjection." 

Anna remained in school two years and a half, 
graduating in 1847 with the highest honors of her 
class, being the valedictorian of the day. 

She returned to her home the same affectionate 
daughter and devoted Christian that she was when 
she left, it, prepared by her scholastic course for 
greater usefulness. Home needed her presence at 
this time, and the need was fully met. Her mother's 
health was so feeble that almost the entire duties and 
responsibilities of mistress of the household, as well 
as nurse, devolved upon her. But the family cares 
and duties, and the entertainment of company and 
friends, which would have been quite sufficient to ab- 
sorb all the time and thoughts of most young ladies, 
did not prevent Anna from taking an active part in 
all the duties of a Church member. She immediately 
sought her place in the Sabbath school. She studied 
to be useful to the children placed under her care. 
She prayed for and with them, for which purpose she 
met them in the church atfive cfdoch in the morning. 



MKS. ANNA M. WENTWORTH. 211 

If necessarily absent, one of her first cares was to 
provide a suitable teacher for her class. The class 
placed under her charge remained with her until 
those who composed it were made teachers them- 
selves. Her interest in this good work never fluctu- 
ated. In referring to other engagements as a teacher, 
she remarked that she had her experience in Sabbath 
school to encourage her. " I commenced," she says, 
" with some doubt ; but instead of growing weary of 
it, my interest increased every week, until it became 
a real trial for me to be absent from the school a 
single day. But then," she adds, " I was particularly 
favored in my class." And just so every faithful 
Sabbath-school teacher thinks and feels. 

Her judgment did not approve of Sabbath-school 
exhibitions for the purpose of raising funds; yet when 
they were decided upon she entered into them with 
all the enthusiasm of her nature, sometimes writing 
pieces to be spoken, at others writing both hymns 
and music for the singing classes, and always devoting 
her time cheerfully to the training of the children. 

If money was to be collected in the Church, or for 
objects of general benevolence, Anna was almost 
invariably fixed upon as one of the collectors ; and 
she seldom failed, with her pleasant manners, to obtain 
something even from those unaccustomed to give. 
Her special favorites were those who responded 
cheerfully to the calls of benevolence. Of such she 
was wont to say : "I love to ask them for money, for it 



212 THE MISSION CEMETERY. 

seems to be so much pleasure for them to give." She 
not only asked others to give, she gave herself. She 
knew the blessedness of giving, and it was this that 
first induced her to turn her accomplishments to the 
purpose of making money. In several instances, when 
money was much needed for church purposes, she, 
with the assistance of some of her young friends, 
gave concerts of music, by which she realized much 
more than she could otherwise have contributed. 
And for the same purpose she gave music lessons, 
devoting to charity all she received in this way. At 
one time, when there was an urgent call for funds in 
the Church, she gave her name for quite a large sum, 
and then took music scholars enough to meet the 
amount from among her friends, who were at all 
times glad to avail themselves of her musical skill 
and her aptness to teach. In writing to her father, 
while teaching school in Maryland, she gives as a 
reason for continuing : " My wants are increasing. I 
want money, not only to spend, but to give away. I 
am interested in the Church, in the missionary cause, 
the Sabbath school, etc., etc. ; and I know of no way 
of really giving money but first to earn it." Her be- 
nevolence not only prompted her to labor, but also 
to sacrifice to meet its demands. Upon one occasion 
an effort was being made to liquidate the debt on the 
church of which she was a member, when, in order 
to increase her contributions, she appropriated money 
which had been given her by her parents for the pur- 



MRS. A.KN"A M. WENTWOETH. 213 

chase of a new bonnet, and resolved that the old one 
should be worn. This act will be the more appreci- 
ated when we remember that her family relations 
and personal superiority gave her a place in the first 
circles of society. 

She remained at home about three years, pursuing 
a course of uninterrupted usefulness, except by a 
severe attack of illness in the spring of 1851. In the 
autumn of 1852 she engaged as an assistant teacher 
in a school in East New Market, Md. As already 
stated, the influencing motives that induced her to 
enter upon teaching were, a desire to increase her 
usefulness, to do something, and also furnish herself 
with means for charitable objects. In accounting for 
the choice to a friend, she said : " I am not satisfied 
with this idle life. I am not needed at home, and 
feel as if I ought to be making myself useful in the 
world. Something almost compels me to go." She 
continued in the school until the close of the term in 
July, 1853, when she returned home, worn down with 
watching and labor. A sister had been with her at 
school who had been seriously ill with typhoid fever, 
watching whom, with school duties, had proved too 
much for Anna's strength. She scarcely reached 
home before she was prostrated by an attack of the 
same disease. Her illness was severe : for five weeks 
she was confined to her bed, and at times hopes of 
her recovery were feeble indeed. The good provi- 
dence of God, however, raised her up for his glory. 



214 THE MISSION CEMETERY. 

Her health being again re-established, she engaged in 
her silent and unobtrusive Christian labors in her 
native village. She spent much of her time visiting 
the poor and the sick, and administering to their 
wants during this winter. She was, as ever, prompt 
and versatile in devising the means of relief, and 
active and cheerful in procuring and applying them. 
She treated the poor, not as objects of mere pity, 
worthy of benevolent regard, but as members of a 
common family with herself, entitled by ties of natural 
affinity to her care ; and the charity which came from 
her hand was dispensed with a delicacy which, while 
it seemed to deny all obligation, made the receiver 
doubly grateful. When human aid failed to avail, 
she would point the sufferer to a source of relief that 
is unfailing, bowing in prayer at the bedside of the 
sick and dying. Whatever was done for others 
in this way was done with so cheerful a spirit, and 
with so little apparent effort, that those who knew 
her best rarely suspected that she was thus employed. 
Thus was the subject of our sketch actively and 
constantly engaged in labors of love and Christian 
duties ; taking an interest in all Church enterprises, 
temporal and spiritual, and efficiently promoting 
them. We find her in the Sabbath school a most 
successful teacher; and in the prayer-meeting, the 
class-meeting, and love-feast, and in the sick chamber, 
her voice is heard uttering prayers and counsels. A 
friend writes : " She never shrunk from the cross. I 



MRS. ANNA M. WENTWORTH. 215 

do not remember seeing her ever sit still in the love- 
feast, and often she rose there as an example and 
encouragement to her Sabbath-school class, or to 
recommend religious saving power to the children." 
In active duty her example is worthy of all imitation. 

Undoubtedly, the hidden spring of such a life must 
be deep personal piety. The flame that shines so 
brightly must be constantly fed by the oil of divine 
anointing. Some extracts from letters and conversa- 
tions with friends will admit us more immediately 
into the inner chambers of her heart. 

On the 1st of January, 1854, she wrote : u Another 
and another year ! How swiftly they pass ! I look 
back upon the one that has just been completed with 
the mingled feelings which are inseparable from these 
stopping-places in life. It has been, in comparison 
with the other years of my life, full of incident ; or 
rather, the incidents have been different from those 
that have filled former years. I remember the solemn 
watch-night with which it was ushered in, more 
solemn to me than any other I can recall. How 
solemnly, how earnestly I then vowed to lead a new 
life ! How have I performed that vow ? Not as I 
should have done. God knows with what deep con- 
trition of spirit I look back upon many of the words, 
and thoughts, and deeds of the past year. But as its 
record lies before me, I can still look back upon all 
its hours of sinfulness and weariness, as well as many 
of happiness and great peace, and thank God for that 



216 THE MISSION CEMETERY. 

first hour in which I felt my noble purposes and 
heavenward aspirations so strengthened and purified. 
The first seven months I spent in New Market, in the 
capacity of a teacher. I still feel, as I felt in going 
there, that there was something providential in it — ■ 
that I was sent. Why, I do not yet clearly see; but 
I think it did me good. Amid many privations and 
trials I had many blessings, and as the greatest of 
all, I record the peace and quiet happiness that are 
always given to those who endeavor to walk steadily 
in the pathway of duty. May God help me to spend 
the coming year better than the past ! and may each 
succeeding year, as it speeds into eternity, bear rec- 
ord of better deeds and a purer life than the one that 
preceded it!" These "stopping-places in life" must 
have been peculiarly blest to Anna. Of the blessing 
and power of another such she says, in referring 
to it : "I enjoyed such uninterrupted peace and com- 
fort for a long time, I felt like praying and praising 
all the time. Such precious seasons I passed in my 
room with my Bible, and engaged in prayer — no, it 
was not prayer, it was communion" In another of 
her letters, under date of June 13, 1854, she writes 
of the preceding Sabbath, and says: "I too enjoyed 
the day very much. It was my birthday, and that 
you know is a double anniversary with me. Eleven 
years ago, on Sunday afternoon the 11th of June, Mr. 
Nicholson baptized me and admitted me into the 
Church, and of course the day has become to me a 



MES. ANNA M. WENT WORTH. 217 

consecrated one, set apart to solemn retrospection, 
self-examination, and prayer. Last Sunday afternoon 
I had the privilege of kneeling at the communion 
board and solemnly renewing the vows I had made 
on my fourteenth birthday at the same altar. Will 
they be fulfilled ? I can scarcely hope they will. If 
any are, it will only be because God has ordained 
praise from the weakest of his creatures. One thing 
I can confidently say in there trospect of these eleven 
years, that there has not been one hour in which I 
have regretted the important step then taken, or when 
I had any inclination to return to the world. Every 
day I am more and more convinced that 'godliness is 
profitable to all things.' " 

The following is an extract from the letter of an 
intimate friend : " One little incident often occurs to 
my mind. We were standing at the third story win 
dow, watching the rising sun, the morning before S.'s 
death. My heart was impressed with the solemnity, 
the awfulness of death, and I whispered to Anna, as 
the sun's rays burst from behind a cloud, 'Shall we 
ever be able to behold the brightness of His glory and 
live?' ' I hope so, I believe so,' she replied ; 'I know 
that my Redeemer liveth, and that he shall stand at 
the latter day upon the earth. And though after my 
skin worms destroy this body, yet in my flesh shall I 
see God, whom I shall see for myself, and my eyes 
shall behold and not another.' For a long time we 
talked of the rest and the beauty of heaven." 



218 THE MISSION CEMETERY. 

To the same friend she said, speaking of her own 
illness : " I don't know why the Lord spared rny life. 
I felt ready to die then. I had not a care or anxiety 
about the future ; but it must have been that I might 
glorify him by a more devoted life, or perhaps I am to 
suffer for Christ. You know I have never had much 
trouble. I feel under such obligations, and as if I were 
living so much beneath what God requires of me." 

The longing of her soul for entire conformity to the 
will of God had greatly increased; God, no doubt, 
working in her to will and to do of his good pleasure 
in preparing her for a most important crisis in her 
history, now but a step before her. "With this hun- 
gering and thirsting spirit, to be " filled with all the 
fullness of God," she went to the Bed Lion camp- 
meeting in the summer of the year 1854. With 
deep earnestness of soul she sought more of the life 
of God, nor did she seek in vain. A friend writes : 
" I was sitting beside her when she gained the victory 
over her own heart, and felt that her will and all 
care were given up for Christ. Bishop Scott was 
preaching from the text : c Mary hath chosen the 
good part which shall not be taken away from her.' 
She had always feared her ability to retain the 
blessing of perfect peace, if once obtained. After the 
excitement of camp-meeting, and her return to the 
cares and perplexities of daily life, in reply to the 
inquiry whether she felt the same peace and comfort, 
she answered : 



MKS. ANNA M. WENTWORTH. 219 

' I hold Thee with a trembling hand, 

And will not let thee go, 
Till steadfastly by faith I stand, 

And all thy goodness know.' 

This is my language if I feel my faith faltering in 
the least; but my mind is kept in undisturbed 
peace.' " 

Such was her inward life of union and communion 
with God, and b}^ this last great blessing of " perfect 
peace,'' he had prepared her for that act of entire 
consecration of her all to the missionary work. It 
was not, we believe, until after this experience that 
she consented to share with Dr. Wentworth the pri- 
vations and perils of missionary life in China. 

The views which she entertained of the great work, 
and the feelings with which she entered upon it, may 
be gathered from the following. On the 30th of 
August she wrote : 

" Yesterday morning Dr. W. left us, and I have 
had two days to review the strange events of the past 
few weeks. Who could have believed that so short 
a time could have so changed all my prospects and 
plans ? Judging from the dictates of human wisdom, 
it seems most rash to allow so short a time to decide 

matters of so great moment But as I try 

to bring a calm judgment to sit upon my decisions, 
I cannot find anything to regret. And why should 
I regret it ? Have I not many times asked the Lord 
to direct all my paths ? And shall I not believe that 



220 THE MISSION CEMETERY. 

he will do it? Have I not for years asked, * Lord, 
what wilt thou have me to do V And when by his 
providence he seems to have laid a noble work be- 
fore me, shall I refuse to enter upon it ? Rather I will 
thankfully acknowledge the goodness that has chosen 
me for a post of such exalted honor ; and while I feel 
in the depths of my nature my unfitness for the work, 
I will implicitly confide in the wisdom and grace that 
are able to ordain praise from the weakest of his 
creatures. I know it is a great undertaking, and I 
want to be able rationally to count the cost, and yet 
not to harass myself with needless fears. There must 
of course be privation and toil. I must leave friends, 
who have seemed almost as necessary to my life as 
the air I have breathed ; but my heart goes out in 
thankfulness to God, that while he has called me to 
leave much, he has given me a strong arm and a no- 
ble heart to lean upon. In this I recognize a pledge 
of what he will do for me. Already he has given me 
an earthly guide, and counselor, and teacher, and I 
feel sure that all his influence will be to exalt and 
ennoble me, and make me more worthy of him and 
thexause to which we have consecrated our lives." 

Such were her views of this great undertaking, and 
they impress us as those of a mature Christian mind. 
Such a mind does not require a long time to reach a 
wise practical result. We think it likely that all 
decisions for high enterprises are made promptly, but 
they are not therefore rash decisions. 



MRS. ANNA M. WENTWORTH. 221 

The Kev. Dr. Wentworth being already under 
appointment for China, the marriage engagement 
was necessarily hastened to its consummation. The 
wedding day was fixed early in October, but in con- 
sequence of the severe illness of a sister, was deferred 
until the 31st of that month, when it was celebrated 
in her father's library, in the presence of a small 
circle of relatives and friends, Bishop Scott perform- 
ing the ceremony. 

In a letter to a friend, written on the 5th of Novem- 
ber, the first from Mrs. Wentworth, we detect the 
cheerful Christian spirit of Anna M. Lewis. She says : 

" I think you will agree with me, that it is something 
to have spent six such bright happy days as I have 
spent since I left home on Tuesday morning. Every- 
thing has seemed to add to their brightness : bright 
sunshine, glorious moonlight, fine prospects, kind 
friends — nothing has been wanting. Of course I do 
not expect life to be made up of such. Longfellow 
has told us, ' Life is earnest,' even if we had not 
known it before, and I no doubt shall have my share 
of its ills ; but it will be pleasant always to look back 
upon these pleasant days, and we may perhaps gather 
brightness from them to light some darker spot." 

In reference to her departure, she says in the same 

letter : " I am sorry to be obliged to go off in such a 

hurry-; but perhaps it is the better way; a longer 

time would only lengthen the pang of parting. It 

seems now almost impossible that we should be com- 
14 



222 THE MISSION CEMETERY. 

fortably prepared in so short a time ; but so far Prov- 
idence has kindly smoothed our way and made every 
thing come out right ; and I have confidence to be- 
lieve that all will yet be right, and that we will not 
be called upon to sail one day before it is best for us 
to go." 

During this bridal tour a visit was made to the 
Rev. Mr. Cookman, her former pastor, then stationed 
in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. Of this visit he writes: 
" A few weeks previous to their embarkation, it was 
our happiness to welcome Dr. Wentworth and lady 
to our home in Harrisburg. In conversation we 
seemed to live over the past, and the hours sped en- 
tirely too swiftly away. A little while before we 
bade these precious friends a final farewell, Mrs. C. 
remarked to Anna that she hoped they might meet 
again in the future, and renew their delightful inter- 
course. To this Anna responded in a sweet and sub- 
dued manner, 'No; I shall never return! I go expect- 
ing to die in China.' 'Then ' said Mrs. C. impulsively, 
' why do you go V Her beautiful answer was : ' It 
is no further from China to heaven than from my own 
pleasant home in West Chester.' " 

It was expected that they would sail early in De- 
cember ; but various delays occurring detained them 
until the 8th of January, 1855. They left home, ac- 
companied by Anna's mother, and repaired to New 
York, from which port they sailed. From thence, on 
New-Year's day, Mrs. Wentworth wrote to her fa- 



MRS. AXXA M. WENT WORTH. 223 

ther : " My first thought on waking this beautiful 
morning was to begin the new year by writing a let- 
ter to you ; but finding we were to visit the vessel 
in the course of the morning, I thought it better to 
wait and give you, a little later, my impression of our 
winter-quarters. We took an omnibus at the corner 
of Spring-street and Broadway, and rode to Pier No. 
20, where the "Storm" lies; It is a little place 
to be sure. The cabin is even smaller than I ex- 
pected, but so much more cosy and comfortable 
looking that I was agreeably disappointed. There 
is room in it for a dining-table, a little stove, a few 
chairs, and perhaps a melodeon. On each side of it 
there is a long, narrow state-room, and two more 
roomy ones back. The largest of them the captain 
has fitted up in a way that shows he has a good ap- 
preciation of the good things of life. The other 
we will occupy. It is not very large, but the berths 
look comfortable, and we are supplied with a wash- 
stand and looking-glass. I think we will be as com- 
fortable there as it is possible to be when sea-sick, 
and at other times we will want to be in the cabin or 
on deck. The decks are roomy and pleasant, and I 
think, whenever the weather is pleasant, we shall 
spend most of the time on them." 

" The captain thinks he may sail on Thursday; but 
even that seems doubtful, for he told Mr. Gibson that 
his cargo was still small, and intimated that he would 
not be unwilling to wait if there was a prospect of a 



224 THE MISSION CEMETERY. 

better. If we should be detained here, from day to 
day, for a week longer, I hope you will be able to 
come on and take a look at our quarters. I think you 
would think more pleasantly of us if you could do so. 
There is none of the discomfort and dreariness about it 
that I had imagined, and I have no doubt we shall be 
able to make it feel quite homelike after we have been 
there a little time. The uncertainty of the ship's sail- 
ing makes it almost impossible to go home again, 
and even if I could, I should dread so much the pain 
of another parting that I should scarcely risk it. I 
feel now that the great trial of leaving home has 
been passed through. I have broken ties that were 
dear as life itself, and I should not want to renew the 
pain for all of us, unless I could spend some time with 
you. Still I wish very, very much, dear father, that 
you could come on here. I want so much to take your 
hand again. Your pale face, and the look of suffer- 
ing you wore the morning we left has haunted me 
ever since, and I have sometimes felt that I must be 
doing wrong, to give so much pain in return for so 
much love and kindness. But I know you would be 
the last one to hold me back from anything that 
seemed a call of duty. You know that I do not go 
with any romantic idea of doing a great work, or of 
immolating myself upon the missionary altar ; but 
with the desire to stand in the lot that Providence 
seems now to be appointing me, and to do the work 
I find there as well as I am able. Wherever I go I 



MES. ANNA M. WENT WORTH. 225 

Lope I shall be the better and more useful woman for 
the tender care you have lavished upon me, and that 
the knowledge that I am filling my place in a sphere 
of usefulness may be a comfort to you when I cannot 
afford you any other. I have left a very happy home, 
but I hope I shall carry its influences with me, and 
be able to reflect something of its brightness on my 
new home across the waters. Indeed, I am sure, 
wherever I go, the remembrance will always cast 
light on dark places. Thank you for your very kind 
letters. You may be sure I did not read them with- 
out many tears, but they were pleasant ones. I have 
a great deal to say; but it is growing late, and I shall 
try to write every day while we stay. I need not tell 
you we shall want to hear from you often, because 
you know that, and I am sure you will write as often 
as you can. 

" Please give my love to Letty, Joe, and the dear 
children, and a kiss to darling little Willie, whom I 
left crying bitterly behind the stove. 

"God bless you, my dearest father, for all your 
kindness, and tenderness, and love. My heart will 
bless you always." 

On the 7th of January she wrote again to her fa- 
ther a letter full of natural affection, and tenderness, 
and true Christian devotion. It was her last letter 
written on her native soil, and written on her last 
Christian Sabbath in a Christian land. She append- 
ed the next morning: "The day is clear and the 



226 THE MISSION CEMETEEY. 

wind seems fair, and as everything else is ready, it 
seems probable that the time of our departure has 
really come. I have only to add a last ' good-by,' 
with the earnest prayer that God will keep and bless 
my dear father, and, if it is his will, permit me to see 
him, with all the dear ones at home, once more on 
earth." 

On the 8th of January, 1855, she left her father- 
land to return no more. 

The heart-heaving emotions and choking utterances 
of such partings cannot be described ; they cannot be 
imagined by those who have never been subjected to 
them. It is a surrender of all things for Christ's sake. 
It is a perfect practical triumph of grace over nature. 
And our wives and daughters who thus consecrate 
themselves, by surrendering every flattering and ten- 
der tie of the past and present, and firmly facing dan- 
ger and death, are the purest, noblest spirits of the 
age. Mrs. Wentworth thus consecrated herself, and 
is now reaping her reward. 

After a voyage of one hundred and thirty-seven 
days, stopping in the mean time at Singapore, they 
reached Hong Kong. In her first letter to her mother, 
written during her voyage, she says : " The first few 
weeks were very trying to me. I had no society and 
no occupation for either mind or body, and I felt then 
as I feel now, that it was no small cause for thankful- 
ness that my spirits so seldom flagged. I prayed con- 
stantly for courage and cheerfulness, and God gave 



MBS. ANNA M. WEST WORTH. 227 

them to me. Indeed, since the hour I bade you 
' good-by ' in New York harbor, I have never for a 
moment regretted the step I have taken, nor doubted 
that I am just in the path where Providence has 
placed me. With such a conviction, it is not difficult 
to be satisfied with the present and hopeful for the 
future; and I try, in the fullest and most literal sense, 
to cast all my care on Him who careth for me. I 
have felt many, many times that it was a great com- 
fort to know that you were praying for me at home ; 
and I have often realized the truth of one of the few 
good things we heard Brother P. say at the camp- 
meeting last summer, that the prayers of a good 
mother were a great support in times of trial and diffi- 
culty. ... I have not been on shore yet, and have 
not seen a woman's face. Does it not seem strange, 
mother, that I have been separated from you one 
hundred and two days, and that you are the last 
woman I have seen ? I can hardly tell whether 
I have missed female society or not. There have 
been times when I have felt that I would almost give 
all the world, China included, to see you or sisters, 
but no stranger could have taken your place." 

In another, to a sister, dated " China Sea, May 23, 
1855," when nearing Hong Kong, she writes : " I 
am not certain that I am quite in my sober senses 
this morning, or that I shall be able to write anything 
that a sensible woman will care to read ; but we are 
nearing Hong Kong, and as we cannot tell how much 



228 THE MISSION CEMETERY. 

or how little time we may have there for writing, I 
want to make sure of the matter, and have a few 
letters ready for the mail before we anchor. I have 
in part explained to you the cause of my unusual ex- 
citement, ' nearing Hong Kong.' After spending one 
hundred and thirty-five days on the heaving ocean, 
subjected to the dangers and discomforts of a sea-life, 
the idea of being again on shore, surrounded by 
something like home comforts, is itself exciting. But 
when you remember that land is China, the land so 
long looked to, so long hoped for, our future home, 
and perhaps our grave, you will not wonder that the 
thought of being within fifty miles of it makes the 
pulse beat more quickly, and sends to the heart a 
strange thrill." 

On May 28th she dated from Hong Kong to her 
mother ; China was reached. In her first letter writ- 
ten on Chinese soil, after expressing her gratitude to 
God for preserving her through the perils of a long 
voyage, and thankfulness for the prospect of a quiet 
home at last, she adds : " Yes, and thankful to be 
here, for even while I feel most painfully the separa- 
tion from home, I can appreciate the privilege of be- 
ing here, and feel that I would not exchange my lot 
for any other." From the tone of this letter it is 
evident that her health had not improved during the 
voyage, and the heat of the season at once produced 
great lassitude. 

While at Hong Kong they were hospitably enter- 



MES. ANNA M. WENTWORTH. 229 

tained by Rev. Mr. Johnson, an American mission- 
ary in that city. They were detained about two 
weeks, waiting for an opportunity to go up to Full 
Chau. On the 7th of June they embarked on board 
the " Spit-fire," an American clipper, for the end of 
their voyage, still six hundred miles distant. A de- 
scription of this part of their voyage, and their recep- 
tion at Fuh Chau, and first impressions of their new 
home, are given in the following letter from Mrs. 
Wentworth to her father. It bears date " Fuh Chau, 
June 20th, 1855." 

"Instead of the long letters I had expected to 
write on my arrival at Fuh Chau, I am afraid I shall 
have to make one short and hasty one answer. By 
some strange arrangement, the mail we had expected 
to send in July is advertised to close to-day at noon, 
and I have only time for a few lines to assure you of 
our safe arrival and kind reception, and must leave 
the many little particulars I would like to write for 
another opportunity. I wrote you from the vessel 
Spitfire, dating my letter, I think, the day we went 
on board. That was Thursday morning the seventh. 
Mr. Johnston, who went on board with us, took leave 
of us directly after dinner; but in consequence of 
heavy rains and light winds we did not get out of the 
harbor till Saturday afternoon. All Saturday it rain- 
ed, and all Sunday. Monday, which was my birth- 
day, it seemed as if the flood-gates above us had given 
way, and the water fell in sheets. In the afternoon 



230 THE MISSION CEMETEKY. 

it was necessary to fasten down the sky-lights and 
shut every shutter to keep out the driving rain. All 
the week the rain continued almost without cessation, 
and it was not till Thursday morning we saw the first 
gleam of sunshine. The rolling of the vessel made 
all sea-sick, and you may imagine it was an uncom- 
fortable time. It was probably, too, a time of more 
danger than any other we have passed through. For 
an entire week we tossed among rocks and sand- 
banks, without a single observation of the sun to tell 
where we were. 

" On Thursday morning the sun came out, and the 
captain found that we were but forty miles from the 
mouth of the Min. A few hours' sail brought us to 
the first sand-bar, where we anchored to wait for a 
pilot. The navigation of the river is very difficult, 
especially to vessels as large as the Spit-fire, and our 
captain, besides being naturally a very cautious man, 
was part owner of the vessel, and not disposed to run 
any risks ; so we came up slowly, just as wind and 
tide favored, and did not come in sight of Kianpai 
Pass, four or five miles from the mouth of the river, 
till some time on Sabbath day. Word was immedi- 
ately sent up to the city announcing our arrival, and 
early the next morning, about three o'clock, we were 
aroused by the arrival of Dr. "Welton, the Church of 
England physician and missionary, who brought a 
boat large enough for Mr. and Mrs. Macaw, Mr. 
Fernley, and ourselves; and also letters to us from 



MRS. ANXA M. WENTWOETH. 231 

Mr. and Mrs. Maclay, giving us a welcome to China, 
and an invitation to come immediately to their house. 
The gentlemen got up to receive Dr. Welton, and 
consult about leaving the ship. The English party 
decided to leave after an early breakfast. At eight 
o'clock we bade our friends ' good-by,' and sat down 
in our cabin to a quiet day alone. 

" We lay at anchor all day without any wind ; but 
about four o'clock were surprised to see a steamboat, 
having a tea-laden vessel in tow, come puffing down 
the river. Captain Aery went immediately on board, 
to secure her services, and by five the next morning 
she was churning and puffing at our side. 

" One of the most pleasant and exciting things in 
our whole voyage was the passage from Kianpai 
Pass to Pagoda Island. The scenery on the Min is 
exquisitely beautiful, and the enjoyment of that, 
added to the home-like scream of the steam-pipe and 
puff of the engine, made the trip, in spite of a driz- 
zling rain, which, by the way, we did not condescend 
to notice, extremely pleasant. Mr. Clark, one of the 
house of Kussell & Co., to which the vessel was con- 
signed, had a comfortable boat, well cushioned* and 
covered, waiting at the island, and was polite enough 
to offer us a passage to the city. We came up very 
comfortably in less than three hours, were met at the 
landing by Mr. Maclay, who brought us immediately 
to his house. Here we were surprised to find our 
English friends, Mr. and Mrs. Macaw, and Mr. Fern- 



232 THE MISSION CEMETEKY. 

ley, so worn out and exhausted by their trip of the 
day before, that they had not been able to go to their 
own house at the English consulate. They had been 
nine hours getting up the river in a small, close boat, 
without cushions, and but ill protected from sun and 
rain, and with no food but a sandwich they had car- 
ried with them. Mrs. Macaw was burned almost to 
a blister, and was sick from fatigue ; and the whole 
party were too weary to think of going three miles 
into the city, and had come up to Mrs. Maclay's for 
a night's lodging and a day of rest. . . . 

"Mr. and Mrs. Maclay received us cordially, and I 
believe were really glad to see us. . . . They have 
had the house on the hill, the ' Olive Orchard House,' 
as it is called, put in repair for us, a verandah thrown 
across the front, and the house well cleaned. The 
few articles of furniture Dr. Wentworth wrote from 
home about are ready, and for two or three months 
they have had a cook and table-boy in training for 
us, that we might have as little trouble as possible 
at first. There is some furniture too belonging to the 
mission, which they have had in use, but which they 
place for the present at our disposal. After Mr. 
Gibson has come, and we are all settled, it will be 
divided equally among the three families ; but it will 
be a great convenience to have the use of it while 
we are having others made, and will enable us to 
get into our own house sooner than we would other- 
wise do. . . . 



MRS. ANNA M. WENT WORTH. 233 

u On Monday it rained all the afternoon, so that it 
was impossible to go over to the house. Of course I 
was extremely anxious to see it, but for that day was 
obliged to be satisfied with Dr. Wentworth's report. 
He went over immediately after dinner, and came 
back with a woful story. The garden was much 
smaller than he expected, and overrun with weeds ; 
the house was dark and gloomy, and the rooms small 
and inconvenient. In every thing he was disappoint- 
ed ; was sure I would not be satisfied with it, and 
thought we could only live in it while another was 
being built. I only laughed at his pitiful tale, and 
told him I did not believe a word of it ; reminded him 
that a man knew nothing of the difference furniture 
made in the apparent size of a house ; and that a day 
when the rain was pouring in torrents was rather a bad 
time to judge of the cheerfulness of a strange place. 
So I reserved my judgment for a sunnier day. The next 
morning was bright and pleasant, and directly after 
breakfast I put on my bonnet, took the doctor's arm, 
and, accompanied by Mr. and Mrs. Maclay and Jim- 
my, started to see the new home. We passed through 
Mr. Maclay 's back yard into what he called Avenue 
B, a street eight or ten feet wide, running between 
two high stone walls, and neither graded nor paved. 
At the distance of about a square we turned into 
Avenue 'A,' and after walking nearly the same dis- 
tance, entered through a double gate the ' Olive 
Orchard.' Perhaps the doctor's report was a good 



234 THE MISSION CEMETERY. 

preparation for me, for everything certainly did look 
smaller in reality than on Dr. Wiley's paper ; but 
after examining everything, and taking into account 
the difference care and furniture would make, I 
was more than satisfied with the whole establish- 
ment. 

u The grounds I find are well laid out, and besides 
the pretty olive grove at the lower end, has many 
valuable and well-grown plants in it. I think a dozen 
Chinamen, under my direction, will soon make a 
different looking place of it. The greater part of the 
yard is in front ; back there is only room, between 
the verandah and the high stone wall, for a walk and 
a wide flower-bed. A flight of stone steps leads to a 
gate in this wall, which opens on the beautiful hill on 
which are all the burial grounds. There is a fine 
view from this hill, and it is the favorite morning and 
evening walk of all foreigners. The situation is cer- 
tainly a beautiful one, and seems to me the most 
desirable I have seen. From the front of the house 
we have a view of the river, with the island and 
the massive bridge ; and of the city on the other side, 
and the noble mountain range beyond. The river 
itself is enough to reconcile one to any inconveni- 
ences in the house ; but I do not believe we shall find 
any." 

In about a week after their arrival at Fuh Ofaau 
they were established in their new home, and Mrs. 
"Wentworth writes to her mother in a cheerful strain : 



MRS. ANNA M. WENT WORTH. 235 

" My dearest Mother, — I write you at last in our 
own home. My writing-desk stands on a low center- 
table in the middle of our parlor, and the light shin- 
ing on my paper is thrown by the same bronze lamp, 
round which our happy family circle has so often 
gathered at home. It was unpacked and filled this 
morning, and is now shedding its rays on heathen- 
dom for the first time. . . . 

" I am almost afraid to tell you how much I like 
Fuh Chau, and its missionaries, and particularly 
' Olive Orchard,' our snug little home, because I may 
meet with difficulties and inconveniences after a 
while, of which I shall be sure to write, and you will 
think I am disposed to be fickle." 

Yet in this letter, notwithstanding its cheerful 
tone, there are references to debility and disease, for 
which she had been under medical treatment. 

On the fourth of July we have a fragment of a 
letter written to her father, which shows her already 
engaged in the study of Chinese. She says : " I have 
just been having a sitting with our long-tailed, long- 
nailed gentlemanly Chinese teacher. First, I recited 
a lesson of just a yard and a half of Chinese radicals ; 
then got from him the proper pronunciation of some 
household phrases I have been picking up, and after- 
ward learned to count as far as one hundred. At the 
end of the lesson, which was rather a lengthy one, he 
rose from his chair, bowed very politely, put two 
fingers in his mouth to represent chop-sticks, I sup- 



236 THE MISSION CEMETERY. 

pose, and gave me to understand that he wanted to 
go to his dinner," 

On the sixteenth of July, on this same sheet, Dr. 
"Wentworth wrote that Mrs. Wentworth had been in 
the hands of the physician ever since the date of her 
letter above, and was still unable to attempt further 
correspondence. She had been quite reduced by 
an attack of the disease so fatal to foreigners in China. 

The last note we have seen from her own pen is 
one to her little brother, under date of August 2, 1855. 
Not only because it is the last, but for the sake of 
some little readers, who may peruse this sketch, we 
transcribe it : 

"My dear little Willie, — I wonder what you 
and Allie are doing at home this pleasant morn- 
ing. I wish you could be here to play in the 
beautiful yard around sister Anna's house, and to 
hear the birds sing in the trees. I don't think you 
ever heard so many birds in your life. For an hour 
or two, early in the morning, they sing so loud that 
if you were in the yard you could hardly hear each 
other talk. It is a very nice garden, and has some 
beautiful flowers in it ; but I think you would like, 
better than anything else, a fine large grass-plot at the 
bottom, shaded by great large trees. I hardly ever go 
out and look at it without thinking what a nice place 
it would be for you to play, and how Mary Ellen 
would enjoy setting out her table and getting supper 
under those beautiful trees. O how I would like to 



MBS. ANNA M. WENT WORTH. 237 

have you three children come to see me, and 
hear your merry voices through the house and 
garden. But I am afraid you never can, it is so 
very, very far." 

This, perhaps, was the last message written from 
that far-off home to distant loved ones ; at least the 
last that "dear little "Willie" received from his sister 
Anna. It is just what a last message should be, full 
of a sister's love and tenderness. 

Mrs. "Wentworth's health continued to decline. 
The fatal disease of the climate (diarrhoea) had taken 
fast hold upon her, which, in connection with the 
birth of her first-born, reduced her to extreme feeble- 
ness. Yet her friends, her physicians, and herself, 
entertained hope that she might recover, until a short 
time before her death. About the last of September, 
1855, her physician announced her case hopeless. 
For this trying moment she was not unprepared. A 
friend writes : " As far as I could discover, she was 
entirely unmoved and tranquil." 

Upon such an announcement, to maintain such a 
state of mind under such circumstances was no ordi- 
nary triumph of grace. For her calmly and tran- 
quilly to relinquish her hold on life, who had been so 
long preparing to live, and was so well prepared ; 
who had been so long thirsting to live, and had just 
entered upon life ; whose spirit had struggled for 
years for a sphere of enlarged activity and useful- 
ness; now that it was just opening before her, hav- 

15 



238 THE MISSION CEMETERY. 

ing just reached the missionary field, her heart's de- 
light, which she had suffered so much and journeyed 
so far to find ; then to be told she must die, and listen 
to the death-knell with composure, was such a vic- 
tory over self and nature as nothing save the omnip- 
otent grace of God could achieve. 

Such a victory must have been preceded by a sore 
conflict. Her spirit must have passed through the 
hot fire of temptation to attain such purity from 
earthly dross. We catch a glimpse of the struggle 
going on within from a single sentence of a letter 
from her husband : " Once only, several weeks be- 
fore her death, in view of her failing health, and the 
ill success of all efforts for her recovery, she expressed 
herself doubtful as to her mission, and said she did 
not know but she had mistaken her vocation in coming 
to China ; but added, ' twenty better missionaries will 
be raised up to take my place if I fall.'' " Xo doubt 
the adversary thrust sorely at her upon this point. 
Her husband, however, adds : "This feeling was tran- 
sient; her prevailing conviction was that she had 
done right in coming to China." 

In addition to these high and holy aspirations for a 
life of religions usefulness, her domestic ties were 
such as to render death especially unwelcome. Her 
childhood's home still stood. Father and mother, 
sisters and brothers were still there, and she loved 
them with an intensity indescribable. Those whom 
she had loved earliest and longest were to be left. 



MRS. ANNA M. WENTWORTH. 239 

"A short time before her death," says her bereaved 
husband, "she folded her wasted arms passionately 
about my neck, burst into tears, and said, ' I cannot 
tell what makes me want to see my mother so much.' " 
On the Sabbath before her death her mother's like- 
ness was brought to her. She took it in her emaci- 
ated hands, while her eyes lighted up with joy as she 
passionately pressed it to her lips again and again, 
and said, "It will not be long before I see my mother 
again." O how precious is the memory of a mother 
under such circumstances ! How hard to have it ex- 
tinguished upon earth ! 

She had also just entered into the responsible rela- 
tions of a wife and mother, had just been united to 
the man of her choice, had just experienced the first 
gushings of the fountain of a mother's love. To give 
up the dear little "Anna," and consent to die, re- 
quired her to pass through such a conflict as is only 
waged in a young mother's heart. 

A correspondent writes : " She called to the nurse, 
who was passing with the babe, ' Bring her here. I 
want to see her.' She extended her arm to receive 
her, and gazing on the little one pressed close to her 
bosom, so unconscious of passing scenes, said: 'I 
don't know how it is ; I try to give her up, and not 
love her ; and then I think I may possibly get well, 
and my heart will cling to her. I know she will be 
well taken care of, and better brought up than I can 
bring her up as long as my mother lives. But I 



240 THE MISSION CEMETERY. 

think after a few years my mother will be taken 
away ; my brothers and sisters will settle in life, and 
have families of their own ; and she is a little girl, 
and as she grows up into womanhood she will need a 
mother's sympathy and counsel ;' and bursting into 
a fresh flood of tears, she exclaimed, ' O what will 
you do without your mamma then !' Here are the 
overflowings of a mother's heart." 

These strong domestic affections and ties increased 
the bitterness of the struggle with death. But her 
spirit rose above the wreck of all her earthly hopes, 
and towering in the sunlight of God's countenance, 
bade adieu to earth, and hastened to its heavenly 
home ! She conquered all, she overcame through the 
blood of the Lamb, she died in peace. " Not more 
calmly and collectedly," writes her husband, " did 
the dear girl prepare for her voyage to China than 
she did for her transit to heaven." About eleven 
o'clock at night, on the second of October, 1855, at 
the house of Rev. Mr. Maclay, Fuh Chau, China, 
Anna M. Wentworth ceased to suffer upon earth, and 
ascended to her rest in heaven, in the twenty-seventh 
year of her age. 

A beautiful description of her sickness and death 
is given by a lady friend who was with her, in a 
letter to her mother. We make the following ex- 
tracts : 

" We all were very glad to welcome her to our 
missionary circle, not for a moment thinking that, 



MKS. ANNA M. WENT WORTH. 241 

like a raj of sunlight, she would shine upon us and 
then be gone forever. But so it was. Still we who 
were with her, and witnessed the happy hours of her 
departure, were constrained to say, even in this very 
mysterious providence, l Our heavenly Father doeth 
all things well.' 

"About ten days before her death I went to see her. 
After speaking to me she said softly, 'I have been 
waiting for you to come and bathe me.' I bathed 
her with vinegar and water, and she expressed 
herself very much refreshed. I that day thought, 
for the first time, that she would not live, not so much 
from her weakness, though she was very much ema- 
ciated and very weak, but from the manner of her 
conversation, which seemed to me to come from a 
soul near the heavenly kingdom. Such a happy ex- 
pression of countenance, and such peaceful sayings, 
to me very plainly whispered, ' I am almost home ;' 
and I often during the day turned away to weep that 
one so lovely and so beloved must be taken away 
so soon. 

" She at this time enjoyed her full powers of 
mind, though it was evident from her conversation 
that she was fully convinced the time of her depart- 
ure was very near. She conversed about you, her 
dear mother, her husband, her motherless babe, and 
about death, with great calmness, and unweakened 
judgment, and the deepest love. Once she said, i If 
mother could only have been here to nurse me ;' an<J 



242 THE MISSION CEMETEEY. 

immediately added, ' Every one has done all she 
could.' 

" At one time her babe was brought to her ; before 
looking at it she asked, l Is this my babe V Being in- 
formed it was, she kissed and gently pushed it away, 
saying, * Go away, dear baby ; go away, dear baby ; 
I must not love you now f and when it was taken 
away she said to me, ' O how hard it is to give up 
my child !' 

" The next day, when giving her some drink, she 
said : t This will not quench my thirst ; nothing can 
until I drink from the river of life, that flows out 
from the throne of God; then I shall never thirst 
again.' 

"When watching with her she asked, ' Cannot you 
read to me some from the Bible V I then read her 
one of the Psalms. After having finished, she said, 
' How excellent ! "Will you read some from Revela- 
tion V I then read part of the last chapter, and she 
exclaimed, ' How I long to drink from that pure 
river !' 

"I said to her the day before her death, 'The phy- 
sician speaks a little favorable of your recovery/ 
She replied, 'I do not wish to stay; I am ready, I 
am waiting to go.' At another time of the same 
day she said : ' How long to wait ; but the Lord 
knows best.' I cannot describe to you the sweet 
peace she enjoyed ; it was indescribable ; it was 
glorious. 



MBS. ANNA M. WENTWORTH. 243 

" The day before lier death, I think it was, she re- 
quested to have the hymn sung, 

'Jesus, lover of my soul,' 

and joined in the singing. I can assure yon I shall 
never forget that lovely scene. There she lay, her 
head reclining near her husband, her hands clasped 
together, her eyes raised to heaven, and her counte- 
nance beaming with unearthly pleasure and peace. 
Could you, her dear mother, have seen her then, even a 
mother's bleeding heart would have been constrained 
to say, ' Go, beloved child ; earth is no longer a fit 
dwelling-place for thee !' After this her breathing 
became obstructed and difficult, but this soon passed 
away, and she left us as sweetly as a child going to 
sleep. 

" She was so lovely in her sickness that even 
her body, after the spirit had departed, seemed ex- 
ceedingly precious to me. I printed a farewell kiss 
on her cold cheek, praying in my soul that all her 
relatives, especially her dear mother, might have suf- 
ficient grace given them to be perfectly resigned to 
the early and unexpected bereavement of this lovely- 
daughter. 

" Though buried in a heathen land, she is just as 
near the ministering angels that watch over the dust 
of the saints as though buried in her own native land. 
And may we not hopefully rejoice, that at the last day 
her glorified body will ascend to eternal bliss with a 



244 THE MISSION CEMETERY. 

host of ransomed spirits from among the poor be- 
nighted Chinese, for whom, in the providence of God, 
she so joyfully laid down her life." 

And I heard a voice from heaven, saying unto me, 
Write, Blessed are the dead which die in the Lord 
from henceforth: Yea, saith the Spirit, that they 
may rest from their labors, and their works do follow 
them. Eev. xiv, 13. 



MRS. SOPHIA A. H. DOOLITTLE. 



AMERICAN BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS. 



By Rev. I. W. WILEY, M. D., 

LATE MISSIONARY PHYSICIAN AT FUH CHAU. 



rs. Sopfita %. f. f colittk 



AMERICAN BOAED OF COMMISSIONEES. 



Sophia Arland Hamilton, the subject of this 
sketch, was the eldest daughter of Luther Hamilton, 
Esq., and was born in the town of Fleming, in the 
county of Cayuga, New York, on the 20th day of 
March, 1818. Her father was a gentleman of intel- 
ligence and wealth, and a prominent and influential 
member of the community in which he lived. He 
was a father devotedly attached to his children, and 
received from them in return the most ardent esteem 
and affection. Especially was he the earthly idol of 
his eldest daughter Sophia, whose heart received one 
of its most severe strokes when the intelligence of 
his death reached her in the first letter received from 
home after her arrival in China. Both her parents 
were prominent and active members of the Baptist 
Church in her native town ; and she enjoyed in early 
life that greatest of all blessings — a pious home, and 
the gentle discipline of Christian parents. She had 
three sisters and a brother, to whom she was de- 
votedly attached, and for whom she cherished the 



248 THE MISSION CEMETERY. 

tenderest affection until the links, one by one, were 
broken by death, so that one alone remains to cherish 
the memory of her sisterly devotion. There are but 
few more loving sisters than was Miss H., and but 
few, as we shall see in the course of this memoir, have 
given more substantial evidence of the depth and 
power of her affection. 

When but a child she had serious and earnest 
thoughts on the subject of religion, which were early 
discovered and cherished by her parents. Perhaps, 
more than anything else, the noble Christian example 
and unimpeachable character of her father originated 
these thoughts, and impressed on her young heart the 
reality and power of religion. At the age of thirteen 
she made profession of religion, was baptized in the 
town in which she was born, and was received into 
communion with the Baptist Church of that place. 

Miss H. gave early indications of more than ordi- 
nary talent, and became ambitious to secure for her- 
self an education. The buddings of intellectual prom- 
ise were hailed with delight in the affluent home of 
her early childhood, which promised everything to 
forward her plans and gratify her aspirations. None 
then foresaw the struggles which would have to be 
met by that opening genius, or the toils and self- 
denials which would have to be endured to secure 
that education. 

About the age of sixteen, at the very period when 
she thought of entering more fully into the work of se- 



MKS. SOPHIA A. H. DOOLITTLE. 249 

curing a thorough education, the circumstances of her 
father began to change, and the means he had formerly 
possessed, from his generous indulgence of those in- 
debted to him, and the failure of others, for whom 
his kindly nature had led him to become security in 
large amounts, passed into other hands, and the 
home of wealth and promise became the home of 
want and struggles. The career of education that 
had thus far been passing so smoothly for Miss H. 
became suddenly arrested, and a life of trial and diffi- 
culty loomed up before her. For a while this change 
of circumstances bore heavily on the young aspiring 
mind, and many tears were shed over the blasting of 
hopes and purposes that had seemed to fall upon her ; 
but in a little while this stroke of adversity was met 
with the reaction of a strong spirit, and developed 
into activity traits of character and an energy of soul 
that none dreamed lay covered up before under the 
ease and luxury of wealth. The victory gained over 
the first depressing influences of this sudden change, 
Miss H. seemed to stand forth a new character, en- 
dowed with new energies and animated by new pur- 
poses. In the reaction of a young and enthusiastic 
mind, her plans were formed and her resolution 
taken. Large, indeed, were these plans for one so 
young ; but large as they were, industry and genius 
achieved what youth and filial affection resolved. 
She determined to acquire such an education as 
would enable her to teach advanced schools ; and in 



250 THE MISSION CEMETERY. 

the ardor of youth, even resolved to secure the ad- 
vantages of education to her younger sisters and 
brother, and to aid the circumstances of her father. 
It was then this young, practical, sacrificing spirit 
entered on the active and trying scenes which, for 
so many years after, she met with so much fortitude, 
and over which she triumphed with so much success 
as to win the love and esteem of all who knew her. 
The object she had set before her was attained, 
though not without many a struggle and temporary 
discouragement. Did we dare to pursue here the full 
history of her trials and reverses, we could exhibit 
to the reader a rare example of perseverance and 
ultimate success in the midst of the gravest dif- 
ficulties. 

Instead of entering the seminary, that purpose was 
thrown off into the future, and she solicited and ob- 
tained a select school in her native town. Though 
but sixteen she was well qualified for this work, and 
very soon gained the esteem and confidence of her 
patrons, who soon became numerous. Nor was this 
a small compliment to her years and ability, for her 
patrons were all persons of prominence and liberal 
education. The first public examination and exhibi- 
tion of her pupils wore the character of a triumph, 
and the "Committee of Examiners," composed of 
gentlemen of education, among whom was the Hon. 
William H. Seward, passed, by resolution, the very 
highest encomiums on the young teacher and her 



MRS. SOPHIA A. H. DOOLITTLE. 251 

pupils, and furnished her, unsolicited, certificates of 
qualification and letters of recommendation. 

In 1835 her parents removed to Auburn, and Miss 
H. accompanied them. Here she connected herself, 
by letter, with the Baptist Church of that city, under 
the pastoral care of the Rev. Mr. Backus, now of 
New York. Coming with excellent endorsements 
from her native town, she was soon able to secure a 
flourishing school in Auburn. In this she continued 
for about a year, and then, with her younger sister, 
Dorliski, entered the Fulton Seminary, in Oswego 
county, and completed her education, thus realizing 
the first grand object of her life. We may be well 
assured that one possessing such talents, and inspired 
by such purposes, and who had already been so suc- 
cessful in teaching others, would herself become a 
devoted and successful pupil, and would leave the 
seminary with honor. Her name and example are 
still cherished in this institution. The talents of Miss 
H. for the finer accomplishments of female education 
were of a high order. In music, painting, needle- 
work, etc., she excelled ; and in the sphere of poetry 
she exhibited both genius and inspiration. For sev- 
eral years she was a most acceptable contributor in 
this department to the Auburn Advertiser and other 
periodicals, under the signature of " Ellen," and was 
already beginning to be looked upon as a writer of 
much promise. Says a writer in the Advertiser : 
" Those who have read her lines, addressed * To my 



252 THE MISSION CEMETERY. 

Brother;' 'By the Hudson's Silver Stream;' ' The 
Wealth of Tears ;' and those ' On the Presentation 
of a Clasped Bible,' need no other evidence of her 
originality of thought, the purity, simplicity, and 
beauty of her sentiments, or of her literary attain- 
ments." 

Qualified now for what she had placed before her 
as her life employment, she again actively engaged 
in teaching, first in Auburn, then at Dansville, and 
then as preceptress in the Ithaca Academy. In this 
labor she continued about ten years, part of the time 
assisted by her sister. During these ten years this 
devoted daughter and sister achieved, through her 
patient toils and self-denials, the remaining parts of 
her resolution, formed in the ardor of youth. Her 
brother was receiving, through her aid, a finished 
education ; her sister, a few years younger than her- 
self, and to whom her heart was knitted through life 
in the closest intimacy and love, cherished and guided 
by her noble spirit, dwelt within her encircling arm, 
and co-operated with her in her generous purposes. 
To the support of the family at home she contributed 
liberally, and with true filial heroism aided largely 
in liquidating the liabilities of her father, which his 
rectitude and sense of justice would not permit him 
to repudiate. 

There is still another passage among the struggles 
and self-denials of this noble daughter and sister, 
which, though we may seem to intrude on the sacred 



MRS. SOPHIA A. H. DOOLITTLE. 253 

privacies of her life, we cannot withhold. She had 
still another sister, whom her large heart had room 
enough to embrace with equal ardor in her sisterly 
devotion. This was, as she called her, her " baby 
sister," Jennie Augusta, the youngest of the flock. 
She was still young when the subject of our sketch 
entered the missionary field, and received the most 
of her education after Mrs. D. had arrived in China. 
Toward the education of this younger loved one of 
the household lambs Mrs. D. was anxious to contri- 
bute, as she had done with the rest. But she was 
now far away, and laboring in a mission where the 
small sum furnished for their support would not per- 
mit her to make remittances to America. The 
brother, who had grown up under her fostering care, 
and who was already becoming successful in the 
world, had presented Mrs. D. with a gold watch as a 
grateful and affectionate acknowledgment of her 
sisterly devotion. This she thought she could dispense 
with, or, indeed, transform into thought, to shed a 
luster over her sister's life, which would be better 
than gold. The watch was exchanged for tea in 
China, which was consigned to a friend in America, 
and the proceeds of its sale were contributed to her 
sister's wants. 

Indeed, the records of even woman's sacrifices 
present but few examples more lustrous than the 
numerous instances of self-denial, patient toil, and 

severe struggles found in the life of this noble woman. 
16 



254 THE MISSION CEMETERY. 

Her memory is a crown of gold to her whole sex, 
throwing an additional luster over the name of 
daughter, and giving a more tender significance to 
the endearing relation of sister. The consecration of 
the riper years of such a life, and the maturer energies 
of such a spirit, to the cause of missions, is a trophy 
of which even that sacred cause itself may boast. 

But we must pass to review her life and character 
in other scenes and relations. 

Miss Hamilton was a Christian of exemplary char- 
acter, and of great usefulness in the Church wherever 
her lot was cast. As we might suppose, she was a 
thinking Christian ; she loved the Bible, and diligently 
studied it, drawing from it not only streams of conso- 
lation and strength to sustain her in her many trials, 
but finding in it a fountain of light and truth which 
satisfied the cravings of her own heart, and the knowl- 
edge of which she was ever anxious to impart to 
others. Her affectionate nature, instinct with sympa- 
thies which embraced her whole race, soon began to 
find fault with the exclusive mode of baptism and 
the close communion found in the Church of her 
parents. She was a lover of children, and was pro- 
foundly impressed with the importance of their relation 
to the Church of Christ. She remembered the early 
strong religious impressions and desires which had 
moved her own heart ; she had partaken of that 
loving spirit which had said, " Suffer the little children 
to come unto me, and forbid them not, for of such is 



MES. SOPHIA A. H. DOOLITTLE. 255 

the kingdom of heaven." Hence she was found an 
active laborer in the Sabbath school, and in every- 
thing that contemplated the religious welfare of the 
lambs of the flock. But she felt that this was not 
enough. She became convinced that these little ones 
had the right of a more positive recognition as parta- 
kers of the kingdom of Christ. In a word, from the 
workings of her own heart, and the lessons of the 
book of God, she became a convert to the doctrine 
of infant baptism. From this beginning, her views 
of baptism and close communion underwent a radical 
change. She still, however, from respect to her 
beloved father, continued her connection with the 
Baptist Church in Auburn until the winter of 1847, 
when she united with the Presbyterian Church in 
Ithaca, where she wa3 then engaged in teaching. 

In 1846 her mind seems to have begun to turn 
strongly toward the heathen world. She had often 
thought of this noble enterprise. She had always 
manifested a deep interest in the home movements 
of that cause, and had frequently declared her will- 
ingness and her desire to consecrate herself to the 
work of missions ; but hitherto the circumstances 
which surrounded her, the wants of her own home, the 
strong claims of others on her efforts and her coun- 
sels, seemed to preclude the idea of going forth to the 
heathen. Now these circumstances began to wear a 
brighter hue, and these claims to present a less 
imperative demand. She had accomplished the 



256 THE MISSION CEMETERY. 

greater part of her early-formed purpose. Her 
father was again in easy circumstances, and enjoying 
a quiet home ; her brother was grown up to manhood, 
and ready to step forth into the world for himself; 
her sister Dorliski, the idol of her affections and the 
companion of her struggles, had found a congenial 
spirit to whose keeping she was about to commit her- 
self; and future prospects promised well for " the 
baby sister." The way was now opened, and she felt 
free to indulge the idea which for years before she 
had felt it her duty to hold in restraint. 

About this time, too, she made the acquaintance of 
Mr. Doolittle, then a student in Hamilton College, 
looking forward to the Gospel ministry. The 
acquaintance of these genial spirits soon ripened into 
intimacy and affection. It was soon discovered that 
the current of their thoughts and wishes was tending 
in the same direction. From early life the mission- 
ary enterprise had been presenting itself in the most 
inviting aspect to the mind of Mr. D. The thought 
of a personal consecration to this work had often 
pressed with weight upon his heart. Recently these 
vague thoughts had expanded into desires, and these 
desires were beginning to form themselves into pur- 
poses. Under these circumstances these two hearts 
met. The discovery of each other's views on the 
subject of missions, produced in both hearts a pro- 
found conviction of duty and a thrill of mutual 
delight. They resolved to devote themselves together 



MRS. SOPHIA A. II. DOOLITTLE. 257 

to this holy work. Mr. Doolittle went on with his 
education, and Miss Hamilton with the work, ever 
delightful to her, of educating others. 

Three years more passed away, during which these 
mutual purposes were gaining strength, and both 
were becoming more fully prepared for the work 
they had chosen. In 1849 Mr. Doolittle finished his 
preparatory education, and graduated in the Auburn 
Theological Seminary. He had already offered him- 
self as a missionary, and had been accepted by the 
American Board, and designated for China. On the 
evening of the 20th of June he was ordained to the 
work of the ministry, and consecrated to the work of 
missions, in the First Presbyterian Church of Auburn, 
by the Presbytery of Cayuga, and immediately after 
these services was united in marriage with Miss 
Hamilton. They were now ready to go forth in the 
name and in the power of the heavenly Master, con- 
secrated both in purpose and in form to a life-service 
in the cause of missions. 

A few months were spent in preparing their outfit 
and in visiting their friends and relatives, taking a last 
farewell of these earthly treasures. These are trying 
scenes to be met at the very outset of a missionary 
life ; they we^e such, indeed, to the loving heart of 
Mrs. Doolittle, especially to part from those sisters 
and that brother who had grown up under her 
own forming hand, and whose life and destiny seemed 
to have become deeply interwoven with her own. 



258 THE MISSION CEMETERY. 

But above all her heart quailed before the thought 
of leaving forever that loving and almost idolized 
father, whose every look had been tenderness, and 
every word a blessing, and for whom she had 
endured and done so much. Yet all these she 
laid on the altar of a deeper love and holier con- 
secration. In September they attended the annual 
meeting of the American Board of Commissioners, at 
Pittsfield, Mass., where their hearts were animated 
with new zeal for their holy work, while the example 
of their consecration, and their words of faith and 
hope, gave interest and value to the meeting of this 
great missionary charity. 

On the 22d of November, 1849, they embarked on 
board the ship Lantao, at Boston, and on the 26th 
struck out, with a fair wind, for China, having been 
detained four days in the Roads by unfavorable winds. 
Most impressive religious services had been held on 
the vessel at the time of their embarkation, conduct- 
ed by Rev. Dr. Pomeroy, one of the secretaries of 
the Board. The blessing of the great God of mis- 
sions had been devoutly invoked on these missiona- 
ries, and most graciously did he vouchsafe to them his 
protecting and directing benediction, guiding them 
peacefully and safely through all the perils and 
dangers of the sea during their long voyage of 
seventeen thousand miles. Their fellow-passengers 
were the Rev. Messrs. W. A. P. and S. N". Martin, 
two brothers and their wives, destined to reinforce 



MRS. SOPHIA A. II. DOOLITTLE. 259 

the mission at Ningpo, under the direction of the Old 
School Presbyterian Board of Missions. 

Four months and a half were spent in measuring 
off their slow voyage over the trackless ocean, and 
then, in the twilight of the morning of April 10, 
1850, they descried the dim outlines of the highlands 
of Hong Kong, and in a few hours were brought to 
anchor before the city of Victoria, a city more than 
any other in China exhibiting that strange commix- 
ture of light and shade, civilization and heathenism, 
produced by the mingling of foreigners and natives 
in the busy scenes of commerce. Here our mission- 
aries had to await an opportunity to embark again 
for Full Chau, and were kindly entertained in the 
family of Richard Cole, Esq., a native of Harris- 
burgh, Pennsylvania, but then filling the capacity of 
printer and publisher of the London Missionary 
Society. 

The reader will grant us the privilege of a brief 
digression to pay a well-merited tribute to the genius 
of this American gentleman. A noble work has been 
done by Mr. Cole for the cause of missions in China, 
a work for which his name should be held in grateful 
remembrance by all who love the missionary enter- 
prise in this great heathen empire ; a work, indeed, 
which reflects honor on his native country. Mr. 
Cole was the first to succeed in what was long, 
thought to be an impossible achievement, that of 
producing moveable metallic types, available for 



260 THE MISSION CEMETEEY. 

printing the Chinese language. Three fonts of beau- 
tiful type, each embracing several thousand different 
characters, were produced by the genius and inde- 
fatigable labors of Mr. Cole. When we remember the 
complicated forms of Chinese characters, how many 
points and strokes enter into their composition, how 
perfectly accurate they must be in every part, so as 
to distinguish them from others closely resembling 
them in form, but widely differing in signification ; 
and how many thousand different characters must be 
produced before they could be available for book- 
printing ; and then think of cutting steel dies for each 
of these characters, forming copper molds from these 
dies, and casting fonts of beautiful types from these 
molds, we certainly may give the epithet of genius to 
the man who did this work, and may form some idea 
of the immense labor which he performed. Indeed 
Mr. Cole almost fell a martyr, in both mind and 
body, to this stupendous work. 

On the 8th of May an opportunity presented for 
our band of missionaries to embark for the remainder 
of their voyage along the Chinese coast to the city of 
Fuh Chan. A few days brought them to Amoy, a 
city in the same province as Fuh Chau, and also 
opened at the same time to foreign commerce and 
missionary effort. It was earlier occupied, however, 
as a missionary station, having been first entered in 
1842 by the lamented Abeel and the now venerable 
Bishop Boone. Although disappointing the hopes of 



MRS. SOPHIA A. IT. DOOLITTLE. 261 

many as a place of trade, Amoy lias met the sanguine 
expectations of the friends of missions as a point for 
the successful propagation of the Gospel. God has 
smiled upon the labors of the earnest missionaries at 
this port, and has given them many seals to their 
ministry. Here our missionaries spent a few clays, 
cheering the hearts of the devoted men and women 
engaged there in the Master's work with the sight of 
new and friendly faces, and having their own hopes 
and zeal inspired by witnessing their successful 
labors. 

On the 20th they struck out again into the open 
sea for Fuh Chau, in the spirit of a fuller consecra- 
tion to the glorious cause, and on the 31st of May, 
1850, reached the city of their destination, after a 
voyage of one hundred and eighty-six days from Bos- 
ton. Here they entered first into the family of the 
Rev. L. B. Peet, to await an opportunity to secure a 
location on which to erect a house for themselves. 

Nearly the first, if not, indeed, the very first intelli- 
gence received by Mrs. Doolittle, after her arrival at 
Fuh Chau, was that of the death of her beloved father 
on July 5, but little more than six months after she 
had pressed her last kiss on his venerable brow, and 
given him her last farewell. This was a great stroke 
to Mrs. Doolittle, and rendered more severe by the 
fact that her first letter from Hong Kong reached the 
United States only a day or two too late to be read 
by him. We have seen how tender was the attach- 



262 THE MISSION CEMETERY. 

ment of this loving daughter to her father, and under 
what circumstances this affection was developed to 
an unusual intensity ; we may conceive with what 
power this sudden blow would fall upon her ; yet that 
heart of large faith and strong purposes recovered 
from the shock, and came forth only as gold tried by 
the fire. She writes : " How little I thought that, so 
soon after reaching my new home, I should receive 
the sad news of our great bereavement. Father is 
dead ! dear, dear father ! Though I never expected 
to see him again in the flesh, yet I feel that I have 
lost my best, my firmest earthly friend ; and that the 
light which gave the greatest charm to my native 
place and earthly home is gone out. How desolate 
it must appear where he was always to give us such 
an affectionate welcome. I am overwhelmed with sor- 
row when I think of our loss. Yet surely it is an afflic- 
tion sent in mercy, and perhaps more than anything 
else will set my affections free from home, and pre- 
pare me more fully for the work of a missionary. 
"While heaven has additional attractions for me I am 
less tied to earth, and can more fully devote my mind 
and heart to the work in which I am engaged." 

Mr. Doolittle soon procured a spot of ground 
on which to build a house. This was at a prominent 
point in a district of the suburbs of the city, named, 
from its elevation, "Ponasang," about a mile and a 
half from the city walls, and about an equal distance 
from the river, near which the other missionaries 



MRS. SOPHIA A. H. DOOLITTLE. 263 

had located their homes. On this spot were erected 
two very neat and comfortable houses, presenting a 
very pretty appearance in contrast with the rude 
one-storied Chinese dwellings about them, and which, 
though what would be called very humble dwellings 
in America, yet from this contrast appeared like 
lights " set upon a hill." And, indeed, such they 
proved, for great have been the light and influence 
that have gone out from this hill among the thou- 
sands of Chinese. One of these houses was occupied 
by Mr. Doolittle, the other by the family of Rev. 
S. L. Johnson, the first missionary who entered Fuh 
Chau, who had spent the prime of his life as a mis- 
sionary in Siam, and who, after some years as an 
earnest pioneer of missions in this great city, retired 
under failing health, and now awaits, with faith and 
hope, the call to his reward on high. His vacated 
house was immediately occupied by Mr. Baldwin, the 
friend and companion of the lamented Cummings and 
Richards, and who for ten years, in labors abundant, 
has been preaching and teaching " the glorious Gos- 
pel of the blessed God " in this heathen city. 

Though not immediately hemmed in by the crowded 
dwellings of the natives, the home of Mrs. Doolittle 
was in close proximity with a dense population, and 
but a little way from the great thoroughfare leading 
from the river to the city. She thus speaks of her 
new home in writing to a friend : " I cannot fully 
realize that two years and more have passed away 



264 THE MISSION CEMETERY. 

since I bid farewell to my beloved friends and 
kindred, and looked that last fond look on my native 
land / but so it is, and during these years I have 
dwelt among heathen who know not God, who hate 
virtue and holiness, worship idols, live in the utmost 
wretchedness, their practices the most revolting to a 
Christian heart and their immortal spirits ! O what 
tongue can tell of the darkness, wretchedness, and 
stupidity into which Chinese millions have fallen ! 
Sometimes the thought gleams on my heart like a ray 
of sunlight, that I once breathed the sweet air of a 
Christian land, that I walked its green fields untainted 
by the filthy idolater, and listened to the song of 
thanksgiving and praise to the true God, rather than 
to the discordant, unmeaning sounds of idolatrous 
worship. 

" I wish, my dear friend, I could describe to you the 
things I have witnessed since coming here, not for the 
purpose of saddening your heart, as I am sure it would 
do, but simply to enlist your sympathy and interest, 
especially in this suffering, dying nation. Our time 
thus far has been employed in becoming acquainted 
with the language, ways, and customs of this peculiar 
people. The language is extremely difficult; but I 
find myself making encouraging progress in it, and 
can already speak it with some ease, and read a little. 
"We have just built us a very comfortable house, and 
have moved into it. Though vastly inferior to 
dwellings in the United States, still we think it very 



MES. SOPHIA A. H. DOOLITTLE. 265 

comfortable. We have two little yards, one in front 
and one in the rear of our house. They are planted 
with trees and shrubs, many of which would be con- 
sidered very rare at home, but very common here, 
though they are new and beautiful to us, such as the 
oleander, japonica, banana, orange, pomegranate, etc., 
ets. These plants and shrubs add much to the 
appearance of our home. As we are surrounded on 
all sides by the low, dark, dismal-looking huts of 
these miserable people, our home seems, when we 
come in from among them, like a little Eden, though 
you would think it very inferior. Do not think that 
I am disappointed or discouraged with the Chinese 
people. One who has read St. Paul's description of 
heathenism ought to expect all we meet with in this 
heathen land ; yet a kind heart, and especially a 
Christian heart, loves to labor for them and die for 
them, if such be the will of the Lord, and thus be the 
means of leading some of them to the blessed Saviour. 
Pray for us that our faith fail not, and that w r e may 
joyfully sow beside all waters, trusting in God's 
promises, that in due time we shall reap if we 
faint not." 

About this time the writer formed the acquaintance 
of Mrs. Doolittle in Fuh Chau. Her genial spirit, her 
sympathizing nature, her gifted conversational powers, 
her originality of thought, her devotedness to the 
cause to which she had consecrated her life, very 
soou initiated an intimacy which will be cherished 



266 THE MISSION CEMETERY. 

among his sweetest memories, and convinced him 
that hers was a character of more than ordinary 
excellence and promise, Three years of intercourse 
with her in all the interesting and trying relations 
into which foreign missionaries are thrown, only deep- 
ened that friendship, and increased the conviction of 
her rare excellence. The brilliant qualities of her 
mind and character at once arrested attention and 
commanded admiration ; but it Was not until she was 
seen in the privacies of home, in the relations of wife, 
and mother, and friend, in the character of an active, 
zealous missionary, in the chamber of suffering and 
of death, in circumstances of trial or danger, that her 
true character was discovered, and the wealth of affec- 
tion, and sympathy, and faith, and hope, that lay 
treasured in her heart, was fully revealed. 

Soon after our acquaintance, her affection and faith 
were destined to endure another severe trial. Her 
heart, which had not yet recovered from the wound 
it had received by the sudden death of her father, 
was made to bleed afresh by the loss of her sister 
Dorliski, that sister who had been the companion and 
partaker of all her early struggles. We remember 
how her spirit sank under this bereavement, and for 
how long a time we could detect in her outward 
deportment the bitter sorrow that she felt within. 
Long afterward she thus wrote to a friend : — 

" I need not tell you of my deep sorrow ; I could 
not if I would describe the keenness of that anguish, 



MRS. SOPHIA A. H. DOOLITTLE. 267 

or the blighting of that breath that brought across 
the deep the tidings — ' she is no more, she is dead and 
gone? Yes, she is gone, but only gone before. For 
many months I have been bowed down with the 
weight of my grief. I have felt sometimes as though 
I stood now in the world alone, and that the warring 
elements were lashing me with all their fury. But 
1 suddenly a star arose; it was the star of Bethlehem.' 
O my dear friend, what should I have done in those 
most trying circumstances had not the grace of God 
sustained me, and his right hand upheld me, and his 
good Spirit enabled me to say, 'It is the Lord, let 
him do what seemeth him good.' " 

In the autumn of 1852 a school for boys was opened 
in the basement of their house. In this Mrs. Doolittle 
took a great interest ; being now able to use the lan- 
guage of Fuh Chau with considerable ease and fluency, 
she gave much time and labor to these little ones. 
Her previous experience in teaching was of service 
here, while she found in the school an employment 
in which she delighted, and through it a friendly 
access to the friends and parents of the children, 
which she never failed to use to the best advantage. 
We always liked the policy of Mrs. Doolittle with 
reference to the females of China. The door of her 
yard and house always stood open to the natives, and 
on their visits, which were numerous and often trouble- 
some, on account of the curious prying, question- 
asking nature of these strange people, they were 



268 THE MISSION CEMETERY. 

always made welcome, though it frequently cost much 
time and patience. Many of these visits were returned 
in person, and many have been the acts of kindness 
and the lessons of truth and encouragement given by 
this zealous woman in the dark, forbidding homes of 
these " daughters of China." 

Mrs. Doolittle took a special interest in Ting-sing- 
sang, the teacher of the school on their premises, and 
subsequently the first convert from heathenism bap- 
tized and received into the Church in the city of Full 
Chau. Ting cannot, however, be looked upon as the 
first trophy of missionary labor in that city. A young 
native, by the name of A-ko, employed first in the 
family of Mr. Baldwin, and subsequently in that of 
Mr. Colder, and who accompanied Mr. C. to Amer- 
ica, had long been under religious impressions at Full 
Chau, and during the stay of Mr. Colder at Hong 
kong, prior to sailing for America, in 1853, presented 
himself as a convert to Christianity, and after exami- 
nation was baptized and initiated into the Church at 
Hong Kong. Ting, however, was the first to be bap- 
tized and received into the Church at Full Chau. 
How large a share Mrs. Doolittle had in leading to 
this result eternity only will unfold. Her interest in 
him was deep, and her efforts with him were earnest 
and long continued. " Our teacher," she writes, " lias 
manifested much interest in the Christian religion. 
He prays in his family, and did so in the school long 
before we knew it. One year ago he offered himself 



MBS. SOPHIA A. H. DOOL1TTLE. 269 

for baptism. Some of the brethren assisted Mr. D. 
in examining him, but unfortunately during the ex- 
amination he made a misrepresentation about the time 
of his marriage, and consequently the matter was 
dropped for a time. The time of his marriage was 
of no importance whatever, but the falsehood was 
the evil thing. We did not dare to venture the ac- 
knowledgment of his Christian character. We must 
be extremely careful in receiving these poor heathen 
into the Church. It is now more than a year since 
then, and he seems to be sincerely penitent. He has 
lived in one of the rooms of our house for more than 
a year, and, as far as we can judge, lie leads a Chris- 
tian life. He preaches in Mr. Doolittle's chapel twice 
a week, and preaches very plainly to his countrymen 
the wickedness of idolatry and the duty of worshiping 
the living God. His wife, mother, and son live with 
him, and when we go in to see them it really seems 
that they are better tha*n others of these people ; I 
mean more respectful, affectionate, clean, and Chris- 
tianized. We have good hope that we will soon be 
able to receive him to the fellowship of the Church." 
Mrs. Doolittle lived to see this hope realized. 

Her attention was early directed toward the enter- 
prise of the education of Chinese girls. She was not 
satisfied with the boys' school alone, but for a long 
time nothing could induce the Chinese to send their 
daughters to the schools of the missionaries. Some 
of the natives looked upon it as an absurdity, others 



270 THE MISSION CEMETERY. 

as useless, others as dangerous. At length these 
prejudices gave way, and it was found possible to 
secure the attendance of the girls. Schools were 
successfully opened by Mrs. Maclay, Mrs. Cummings, 
and Mrs. Doolittle. The school of Mrs. Doolittle was 
opened in the spring of 1853, and though she was 
obliged to begin with a small number, she was grati- 
fied with the results of the experiment. She writes : 
" We have at length succeeded in opening a girls' 
school. During the last year we endeavored repeat- 
edly to find a teacher to engage in this work, but in 
vain. About two months since the teacher formerly 
employed in the boys' school consented to undertake 
it. We have it on our own premises. The number 
of girls is yet quite small, but we have encouraging 
prospects for the future. The fact that even a few 
persons in this neighborhood are willing to let their 
girls come to our house to receive instruction in 
the Christian religion, betokens a change in the 
state of feeling with reference to us which is very 
encouraging, and which we mention with grati- 
tude." 

Events of an alarming character soon arrested this 
young enterprise for some months. The news of the 
wide-spread rebellion in China began to reach the 
city of Fuh Chau early in the spring of 1853. The 
reports of the frequent successes of the insurgents 
were received gladly by the people, and often with 
pnblic demonstrations of gratification. Symptoms of 



MRS. SOPHIA A. H. DOOLITTLE. 271 

restlessness and insubordination soon began to mani- 
fest themselves in the city, and threatened to break 
out into open insurrection. In a little while a band 
of insurrectionists descended on the city of Amoy, a 
city in the same province with Fuh Chan, and under 
its jurisdiction. The rebels were successful, and took 
possession of the city. News reached Fuh Chau that 
the insurgents were on their march to that city. An 
insurrection had broken out also in the northwestern 
part of the province, in the district of Saong-hu, under 
the direction of a band of desperadoes who had asso- 
ciated themselves together for purposes of murder 
and pillage, and who were committing many atroci- 
ties in their attacks on the towns and villages. These 
too were reported to be marching toward the provin- 
cial city. As the line of their march was along the 
river Min, we had almost daily evidence of their 
work of death and atrocious character in the numer- 
ous decapitated and mangled bodies which were seen 
floating down the river. The city was thrown into 
the greatest consternation. 

To add to the dismay, the wretched natives were 
becoming short of food. A long-continued drought 
had delayed, for many weeks beyond the usual time, 
the first crop of rice, while the troubles in Formosa, 
and in the northern parts of the province, had cut off 
the outside supplies. The banks were beginning to fail 
and close, and the people holding their paper had be- 
come desperate. Several banks and exchange offices 



2 7 2 THE MISSION CEMETERY. 

were torn down. The stores and dwellings where 
provisions or money could be found were assailed 
by lawless mobs. The city was put under martial 
law, and placed in a state of defense for the coming 
insurgents. In these circumstances no protection or 
means of escape were given to the missionaries. !N"ot 
a foreign vessel was anywhere near Fuh Chau, and 
the governor of the city notified us that we must take 
care of ourselves. Our little company gathered to- 
gether on the island of Tong-chin to await the result. 
Mr. Doolittle and family dwelt with us on the island for 
several weeks, during which all missionary labor was 
suspended, and the city was in the wildest state of 
agitation. At length the imperial forces succeeded 
in retaking Amoy; the rebels were scattered in 
Saong-hu, and a plentiful harvest was ready for the 
sickle. The people settled down into quietness, and 
the missionaries were able to return to their homes 
and engage in their work. 

Mrs. Doolittle again resumed her school under a 
more favorable character and more promising cir- 
cumstances. The boys' and girls' schools were 
merged into one, and the number of girls increased 
to about thirty. Mrs. Doolittle was again in her 
proper sphere. Much time and labor were given to 
this school. This, however, was at the sacrifice of 
many personal and domestic comforts ; but, as she 
frequently expressed herself in her letters to her 
friends at home, she " had her reward in the con- 



MRS. SOPHIA A. II. DOOLITTLE. 273 

sciousness of having performed her duty, and having 
accomplished a good work." 

In the winter of 1853 God cheered their dwelling 
with a little son, their beloved Henry Hamilton. 
The strong affections of her heart gathered intensely 
around this little " olive plant," springing up in their 
heathen home. In no relation was the character of 
Mrs. Doolittle more beautiful than in that of mother. 
Here was seen the full depth of her loving heart. 
"God," says she to a friend, "is very good to me, 
and has made my China home a very happy one. 
He has given us many and great comforts, many 
more than I deserve ; but the most precious of all is 
our darling little Henry. I think God has given him 
to replace my dear sister Dorliski ; he looks so much 
like her, I often sit and gaze upon him and think 
of her. O how different is a mother's love and a 
mother's joy from every other! He is a precious, 
precious treasure to me, most fully rewarding me for 
all my sorrow on his account. May God spare his 
life, and make him a Christian and a missionary to 
the heathen !" 

The summer of 1854 was spent by Mr. Doolittle 
and his family in the southern ports, in hope of find- 
ing some relief for a very troublesome affection of the 
throat, which had been for many months interfering 
with Mr. Doolittle's missionary labors. The time thus 
spent was by no means wasted, nor was this a fruit- 
less voyage. Besides the advantage which it proved 



274 THE MISSION CEMETERY. 

to Mr. Doolittle, and also the beneficial effects on the 
health of Mrs. Doolittle, it afforded a fine opportunity 
for observing the operations of missionaries at other 
ports, and of becoming conversant with their plans 
and methods. Mrs. Doolittle spent much of her time 
in visiting and observing the working of the schools 
at Hong Kong and Canton, and became, if possible, 
still more deeply interested in the education of Chi- 
nese girls, and convinced that more than had yet 
been done might be accomplished for the females 
of China. 

In November they returned to Fuh Chau, both 
improved in health, and inspired with new zeal for 
the work in which they were engaged. Mr. Doolittle 
was still unable, on account of his throat, to preach 
much, and it was resolved that they both should turn 
their attention more fully to the department of edu- 
cation. A boy and girls' school was again opened, 
and a good number of both sexes were found in 
attendance. Nine of these children became day- 
boarders in the family of Mrs. Doolittle, though they 
returned to their homes every evening. Three 
Chinese girls were received into the family as per- 
manent boarders, food and clothing being furnished 
them by the mission. These girls were completely 
under the influence and direction of Mrs. Doolittle, 
their parents having resigned all authority over 
them, and committed them wholly to tile care of the 
missionaries for a term of six or seven years, accdrd- 



MRS. SOPHIA A. H. DOOLITTLE. 275 

ing to their ages, unless married in that time. In 
these Chinese girls and her day-boarders Mrs. Doo- 
little became deeply interested, and in a short time 
they became greatly attached to her. She held with 
them a daily religious service, and when death called 
her away, was making arrangements to receive a 
number of Chinese women to participate in these 
services. Her little girls were delighted with their 
new home. They, of their own accord, asked to be 
instructed in the religion of Jesus, and to be taught 
how to pray, and sometimes asked permission to retire 
alone to pray. They remained with Mrs. Doolittle 
till the time of her death, and were then transferred 
to the care of Mrs. Hartwell, under whose culture, 
we doubt not, the truths already instilled into their 
young hearts, and the lessons which they shall yet 
receive, will bear fruit in future years to the glory 
of God. 

But in the midst of these labors, and while full of 
plans for the future, she was stricken down, and 
the great Head of missions said to his servant, " It is 
enough, come up higher." Our next intelligence 
from Full Chau came by letter from Rev. Mr, Bald- 
win, bearing date June 23d, 1856, and revealing the 
sad story it had borne over the ocean in the following 
words : 

" Our mission is in deep affliction, and my sole ob- 
ject in writing you this short letter, is to announce the 
sad intelligence, that we may have your sympathy 



276 THE MISSION CEMETERY. 

and prayers, as well as those of all who love us 
and our cause. Our dear sister, Mrs. Doolittle, has 
been removed from us by the hand of death. Her 
i presentiment,' as she expressed it, in conversation 
with one of her missionary friends, has been sadly 
realized in this trying dispensation of Providence, 
and she has been cut down in the midst of her days 
and usefulness. Mrs. Doolittle passed away from us 
rapidly and suddenly. On Thursday, the 19th instant, 
after having passed through a very severe confine- 
ment, which terminated in the death of her little one, 
she was seized with a violent inflammation of the 
lungs, and the disease moved steadily on its fatal 
track, notwithstanding the utmost efforts made to 
arrest it. Indeed, so grave was the attack from the 
very first, that but little could be done except to 
alleviate her suffering and smooth our sister's way to 
her grave. Her disease speedily reached its crisis. 
She breathed her last on Saturday morning, the 21st 
of June, at half-past three o'clock, and went to her 
Saviour in heaven, while our tearful eyes were gazing 
on her poor remains. 

" Outward circumstances, as well as those of 
greater moment, made this stroke jone of peculiar 
solemnity and impressiveness. We live, you will 
recollect, at Ponasang, our house adjoining Mr. Doo- 
little's. The island of Tong Chin, where resides Mr. 
Peet, our nearest missionary brother, is distant about 
a mile ; but in consequence of the heavy storms 



MRS. SOPHIA A. II. DOOLITTLE. 277 

which had been raging nearly two weeks without 
intermission, the plains and parts of the streets were 
covered with an inundation of the river, which 
effectually cut us off from the assistance of our friends. 
It was under such circumstances, and while the fear- 
ful storm was still raging, that Mrs. Baldwin and my- 
self stood at midnight, with the afflicted husband, 
around the bedside of his dying wife. Though 
somewhat under the stupefying effects of opiates, 
Mrs. Doolittle still recognized each of us, and often, 
in her replies, showed that her reason was still active. 
But when her husband looked intently into her face, 
and kindly said, 'Do you know that you are sick ? 
that you are very sick V If you should not recover, 
what then V And especially when his sobs fell on 
her ear, and she said, ' The parting hour must come,' 
she seemed fully roused to a sense of her actual situ- 
ation. But it was on subjects strictly and purely 
religious that she exhibited full intelligence in her 
answers. Her voice was elevated, and every tone 
remarkably full and distinct, while she uttered her 
messages to her distant friends. For all these she 
was intensely anxious that they should truly and 
entirely cling to the Saviour. ' Tell him,' said she, 
with reference to her brother-in-law, ' tell him it will 
not do only to prof ess to love the Saviour, but he must 
love him sincerely!' 'Tell her to love the Saviour, and 
rely on him alone, which is the most precious thing 
she can do,' was her message to her only surviving 



278 THE MISSION CEMETERY. 

sister. To her mother : ' Tell her I would like very 
much to have seen her again, but if the will of the 
Lord, is that ' — here she failed, and her voice was 
lost for a season. When she recovered she did not 
complete the message, but doubtless intended to 
express her resignation to the will of the Lord, even 
though never permitted on earth to see her mother's 
face again. 

"At length Mr. Doolittle requested me to bring 
Henry. He was sleeping quietly, all unconscious 
that his mother was so soon to be removed from him. 
He is a small and delicate child, her only one, about 
two and a half years old. I brought him over in my 
arms and gave him to his father, who roused, him 
from his slumbers, and held him on the bed near his 
mother. The scene which ensued I am sure my 
feeble pen cannot adequately describe. O ! it was a 
precious scene, on which angels might look with 
rapture. Her darling, only boy was before her, the 
child of her most ardent attachment, as we had often 
seen it so tenderly manifested in days gone by. The 
whole mother was aroused in her soul. She stretched 
forth her hand toward him, and cried out in tones of 
most melting tenderness and love : ' Little Henry ! 
little Henry ! little bird ! little Harry ! mother loves 
little Harry, very much she loves him.' Those tones, 
so rich, so full, so almost unearthly, seem to fall 
again on my ear while writing. Perhaps I shall 
never forget this sublime scene and these melting 



MRS. SOPHIA A. II. DOOLITTLE. 279 

words. I trust I never shall. They are to my mind a 
proof of the strength of maternal love, which volumes 
could scarcely deepen. But that heart had room for 
others too. She stretched forth her hand and laid it 
tremblingly on the head of her little boy, where it was 
held, steadily by her husband's hand ; and in those 
same earnest, clear, rich tones, which I have never 
heard in all my lifetime, she said : ' Thy will be 
done. God bless us all, and take us all to heaven V 
She said no more. She committed all to Him who 
is able to keep all, then sweetly fell asleep in Him. 

" The flood having abated, her remains were car- 
ried to-day (the 23d) to the Mortuary Chapel, on the 
south bank of the river, and the impressive funeral 
services were conducted by Eev. Mr. Hartwell and 
Rev. Dr. Bridgman, who is on a short visit to this 
port. Thence the little procession, mostly composed 
of missionaries, followed the remains to the Mission 
Cemetery, a few yards distant, and we committed the 
precious dust to the grave in joyful hope of its future 
resurrection and glory. Beside her sleep in this silent 
spot those three noble women, Mrs. White, Mrs. 
Wiley, and Mrs. Wentworth."* 

We have thus presented the outlines of the brief 
but eminently useful life of this noble woman. We 
need not attempt to sketch her beautiful character 
here ; we have endeavored to make this apparent in 
the preceding pages. We have already seen her as 

* Since then Mrs. Peet has been added to the precious number. 



280 THE MISSION CEMETERY. 

an affectionate daughter, a loving sister, a devoted 
wife, a tender mother; as a ripe scholar, an early 
and faithful Christian, and an earnest missionary. Nor 
would we offer any eulogy to the memory of the dear 
departed. Her life is her praise, her consecration to 
the work of missions the proof of her character, and 
the rude stone which covers her resting-place in 
the silent " Cemetery of Fuh Chau" is her noblest 
monument. It is the one she would have chosen for 
herself, and it utters its silent memorial and dispenses 
its quiet influence, from the very spot where she 
would have placed it. Here the heathen, for whom 
she lived and with whom she died, will gather around 
it, perhaps sit down upon it, in the refreshing shade 
of the beautiful olive-tree that waves above it, and 
read in their own language the record of her life, the 
inscription of her death, the assurance of her hope of 
immortality, and the proof of the love and devoted- 
ness of one who came far over the ocean to teach 
them of Jesus and the resurrection. 

Mrs. Doolittle, by her social virtues and many acts 
of kindness, had secured to herself the warm esteem 
and even the affection of many of these rude heathen, 
and especially had she won the hearts of the na- 
tives employed in the mission, of the children of her 
school, and of her three little native girls. On the 
day preceding the funeral a number of these natives, 
with the children of her school, assembled in an upper 
room adjoining that in which she lay silent in death. 



MBS. SOPHIA A. II. DOOLITTLE. 281 

Mr. Baldwin addressed them on the blessedness of 
those who die in Christ. Many breasts that had been 
seldom moved by emotion, heaved, and many eyes 
unused to weep were suffused with tears that morning. 
After these services all who wished took a last view 
of one whose face was so familiar to them. Long and 
silently they gazed on their departed friend. Her 
three little native girls wept bitterly as they looked 
upon her, and remembered and spoke of her affection 
for them and her labors with them. O how eloquent 
is death ! Perhaps the most powerful of all her lessons 
was the lesson of that hour, when her lips uttered not 
a word, when her eye returned no gaze, and when 
she lay motionless, clad in the habiliments of the 
grave, while heathen hearts around her were melting 
and tears flowed freely. Thus the fallen missionaries 
are not lost. Though dead they still speak, and for 
many years their silent graves will send forth lessons 
and influences eloquent and powerful in their ap- 
peals to the heathen around them, and to the Church 
at home. There let us leave them under the guardian 
care of Him who said, ' He that believeth on me hath 
everlasting life, and I will raise him up at the last 
day.'" 



282 THE MISSION CEMETEKY. 

TRIBUTE TO MRS. DOOLITTLE. 
By Mes. Claea P. Yatjgeb. 

Feom distant China's darksome strand 

A melancholy dirge, 
And dying sigh " for native land " 

Float o'er the moaning surge, 

From lips that in departed days, 
Along " sweet Anbnrn's " plains, 

"Warbled the muse's magic lays, 
In gently flowing strains. 

Fondly her fading eyes were turn'd 

Toward the far-off shore, 
Whose hills her heart, in dying, yearn'd 

To look upon once more. 

To native scenes, loved passing well, 

Kindred and sacred home, 
Early she bade a last farewell, 

To cross the ocean's foam. 

"Why left she this fair land of ours ? 

The land of peaceful dells, 
Of unmolested hearths, and bowers, 

And holy Sabbath bells? 

She loved it, and to leave it wept ; 

Fain 'neath its flowery sod 
Death's long, lone sleep would she have slept; 

But more she loved her God. 



MES. SOPHIA A. ir. DOOLITTLE. 283 

And for his cause she dared to brave 

The perils of the sea, 
A hostile home beyond the wave, 

A martyr's destiny. 

For Him whom God hath glorified 

She laid life's treasures down ; 
Bearing his message, meekly died, 

And won a starry crown. 

And now amid the immortal choir 

Around the throne that throng, 
Sweetly she tunes a golden lyre, 

To heaven's unending song. 



We have already alluded to the poetic gifts of Mrs. 
Doolittle, and to her early contributions to the press, 
through which she had already gained many ad- 
mirers. A few specimens of her composition will 
exhibit her talents in this respect, and may not prove 
an unacceptable offering to the reader. 

HAST THOU E'ER LOYED? 

Hast thou e'er loved the laughing girl, 
With waxen neck and silken curl, 
Sweet ruby lips and dimpled face, 
Borne gayly on with sylvan grace, 
But her light footsteps, bounding nigh, 
Spake to thy heart, The loved must die ? 

Hast thou e'er wound, in friendship's hour, 
The golden cord round spirits pure, 



284 THE MISSION CEMETERY. 

Until its bright and silver dart 
Pass'd gently down into thy heart, 
But whisp'ring angels seem'd to say, 
Love not what death can take away ? 

Hast thou e'er watched thine aged friend, 
And proffer'd aid, her steps to tend 
Most kindly down life's dark descent, 
To which her tott'ring steps were bent, 
But thou didst turn, with silent breath, 
To brush the tear that told of death ? 

Hast thou e'er burn'd the midnight oil 
To win the love of learning's toil, 
And twine bright garlands for thy name, 
Of honors, stars, and gems of fame, 
But morning's light on thy dim eye 
Told to thy heart, Thou too must die ? 

Hast thou made wealth thine only trust, 
And heap'd in heaps its shining dust, 
Drawing its silken curtain round 
The shining, treasured luxuries found, 
But its thin wings did softly say, 
Think not with us to soar away ? 

Hast thou e'er mark'd with youthful zeal 
The path of life through thornless field, 
"Where flowers of pleasure fearless bloom, 
And shed around their rich perfume, 
But as thy steps were hast'ning on 
The hidden thorns were trod upon? 

Then if we build beneath the sky, 
We build where joys forever fly; 



MRS. SOPHIA A. H. DOOLITTLE. 285 

May wisdom throw its halo round 
Our dwelling on terrestrial ground, 
Till we may reach a heavenly height, 
Whose Architect will guide us right. 



COME TO THE WILD WOODS. 

Come to the wild- woods, come, sistee, away, 
Where each blooming flow'ret keeps smiling all day ; 
Where shrubs, richly loaded with garlands of green, 
Encircling the mossy-clad hillocks between, 
In gentle grace bowing to zephyrs that pass 
Away to the meadows' soft-waving grass. 

The chanting of choirs in melody calls, 

Each note breaking out through the thick leafy walls, 

Inviting our footsteps, inviting our ear, 

Where freshens the leaf, where streams ripple near ; 

Where music flows out like the river of love, 

From the clear crystal fount in regions above. 

We'll circle our path, and blithely walk over 
The fields neatly strown with nectary clover ; 
Thy hand clasped in mine, together we'll share 
Each treasure we gather, each pleasure that's there ; 
And lightly trip on with soft gentle tread, 
Where the daisy is seeking to hide its gay head ; 

And gather boquets where our fair florist, June, 
With roseate fingers has lavishly strown 
Her favorite flower, with diamond eye, 
That gazed all night at the star-spangled sky ; 
Buried in fragrance, each bud and leaf dripping 
With sparkling dew-drops, its sweetness befitting. 
18 



286 THE MISSION CEMETERY. 

Thy cheek shall be kiss'd by the spray of the fountain, 
That comes leaping down from the brow of the mountain, 
Winding its pathway o'er sea-weed and brake, 
Till it buries its waters in the smooth silver lake, 
"Where yet rides at anchor, on its pebbly shore, 
A white tiny boat, with light dripping oar. 

Come to the wild woods, come sister with me, 
And sit 'neath the shade of our old fav'rite tree ; 
"Where times viewless hand will weave golden hours, 
As our spirits commune in these wild- wood bowers ; 
Whose richness and splendor forever will tell 
The glory of Him " who does all things well." 



THE SERENADE. 

Night slept on the valley, night, lovely night, 
With its soft airy pinions enfolding the light, 
Save bright, starry gems peeping out from the sky, 
And the young silver moon that sat smiling by, 
'Neath a light fleecy cloud, while on through the trees 
Its rays glided down and cleft the sweet breeze, 
Painting each leaflet on hill side and stream, 
For the skill of an artist had its light pencil beam. 
A sweet "April shower" had spread its wet wing, 

And scatter'd bright drops on each smiling string, 
Each bower and garden, and grass-cover'd hill, 
And dimpled anew the pure rippling rill, 
Breathing its fragrance o'er meadow and lea, 
And sighing on spirits happy and free 
Its soft sigh of love, till they wish'd to unchain 
Themselves, and away o'er the mountain and plain. 



MRS. SOPHIA A. H. DOOLITTLE. 287 

Blent with its softness, sweet music I heard 
Steal through the lattice, like notes of a hird, 
And lit on the soul, 'till I thought in my heart, 
A seraph was sweeping the strings of his harp, 
It flow'd on so sweetly, so lovely, and clear, 
Each joy unfetter'd gush'd out in a tear, 
Though soon woo'd away by a zephyr kiss, 
That keeps in attendance such evenings as this. 

I look'd from the casement, and who might there be, 
But bright real creatures that chimed witchingly 
The harp, voice, and lute, till rich silver showers 
Of music flow'd over the still drooping bowers ; 
Like the wand of a fairy, both skillful and light, 
Engraving the mem'ry with that beautiful night ; 
And long in my heart will its best wish be laid, 
For each one that join'd in that night's serenade. 



TO MY BROTHER. 

Alone this evening, brother, 

I sit and think of thee ; 
The stillness of the moonlight hour, 
New beauty adds to fancy's power, 
As round thy name it wreathes a flower 

To memory. 

I see thee now enraptured 

By learning's guiding light ; 
As step by step its meteor spark, 
Through doubt, and gloom, and shadow dark, 
Still woos thee to a higher mark — 

Fame's giddy height. 



288 THE MISSION CEMETERY 

! banish every gloomy care, 
To life's great ends aspire ; 
The good, the beautiful, and true, 
Do thou through all thy life pursue, 
Then God will weave a wreath for you ; 
This I desire. 



THE RETURN OF BIRDS. 

Sweet singing warblers, I hail your return 
To my own lovely home, to the wild wood and fern ; 
To the clear dimpled waters whose gushing is bound 
By the cold band of winter that circles us round ; 
To the low bending willow that kisses the stream, 
When thy shrill morning solo goes up with its gleam ; 
To nests, where the young in the summer that's gone, 
Took the first wing in flying, the first note in song. 

I hail your return ! in my dreams do I hear 

Sweet warbling music awake on my ear, 

Like silver-toned echoes in soft southern air, 

When thy carol rings out from the orange groves there ; 

And I'll steal me away to a fav'rite domain, 

Lest I lose the first sound of thy coming again ; 

For naught to my soul gives such thrilling delight, 

As the first song of birds at morn's early light. 

I hail your return! your coming will mind 

My heart of the lovely, the pure, and the kind ; 

Of hopes that allure us, of pleasures most dear 

To the bright eye of beauty, undimm'd by a tear ; 

And the fond, loving mother, with care-weary eye, 

Will her child kiss more sweetly when you sing in the sky, 

And the lattice kind hands put back, that disease 

May be soften'd away by a song-freighted breeze. 



MRS. SOPHIA A. H. DOOLITTLE. 289 

I hail your return ! ever kindly you tell 

Of a sister companion I loved, O how well ! 

In days when we rambled around our loved home 

To gather the butter-cups, full in their bloom ; 

And sat on the banks of a pure rippling rill, 

To gaze on its waters as you sang on the hill, 

While hours of childhood pass'd gently by 

As the stream, till its windings were lost to the eye. 

Then haste your return ; bleak foes are all flown, 
The remnants of weapons around me are strown. 
The north wind — Boreas — has put off his frown, 
And like-a soft zephyr has set himself down; 
And the shroud of the snow-king, drifting the way, 
In the sun is laid out and fast weeping away. 
Then fearless return, with shining plumed wing, 
And ring from the mountains the sweet echo — Spring. 



THE WEALTH OF TEARS. 

Bright crystal tears, I love to see 
Them gushing out all light and free 
From their retiring quiet home, 
As one by one they glittering come, 
Trickling down a roseate face, 
With all their native flowing grace, 
Like rain-drops in the ambient air, 
Painting a beauteous rainbow there. 

I ever love, and love them well, 
When gladness of the soul they tell, 
Of tender thoughts and truthful ties 
That gently in the bosom rise, 



290 THE MISSION CEMETERY. 

Till they may touch the magic spring, 
And bid those jewels take their wing, 
And glistening tell, with round of years, 
Upon the heart, the " wealth of tears." 

Still let them flow ; the heaviest sigh 
"Will light its wing when they are nigh ; 
And sorrowing care, and bitter grief, 
"Will in their wealth seek out relief, 
As sweetly as the stars wade through 
The sea of the cerulean blue, 
And swimming eyes look up to tell 
The heart that weeps may yet be well; 

But when I see those large drops flow 
From the deep fount of manTwocPs brow, 
They herald of a mighty storm, 
Struggling within that noble form, 
"With golden links that gently keep 
Deep passions in their quiet sleep. 
Deal gently with that heart of care, 
The wealth of tears is treasured there. 



REV. SENECA CUMMINGS. 

AMERICAN BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS. 

By Rev. I. W. WILEY, M. D., 

LATE MISSIONARY PHYSICIAN AT FTJH CHAU. 




KtV SENECA CUMMINGS 



$*ir. Sbtut* Cnmminjs. 



AMEEICAN BOAED OF COiTMISSIOXEES. 



On Tuesday the 12th of August, 1856, after an 
illness of only five days, this beloved missionary 
ended his life and his labor at New Ipswich, New 
Hampshire. This was a most unexpected event. 
Less than a week before his death he had visited the 
Mission House at Boston, his heart full of desires and 
hopes of an early return to his field of labor at Fuh 
Chau. Even then the disease that was to terminate 
his life might have been detected in the form of a 
small pimple on the side of his nose, the first mani- 
festations of a malignant erysipelas. But his mind 
was intent alone on the great question of a speedy 
resumption of his missionary labors, and he returned 
from Boston animated with the prospect of an early 
embarkation for China. But such was not the will 
of the Head of the Church. He only returned 
home to die! 

Seneca Cummings was born on the 16th of May, 
1817, at Antrim, in the State of New Hampshire. 
The names of his parents were Samuel and Joanna 



296 THE MISSION CEMETERY. 

Cummings. He was the youngest son in a family 
of six children, and grew up under the fostering care 
of a pious and affectionate household. His father 
still lives, now venerable in years and full of Chris- 
tian hope. His mother died in the faith and hope 
of the Gospel in 1845. Two brothers and three 
sisters are still living. In the bosom of this Chris- 
tian family he spent the first twenty years of his 
life. Nothing peculiar or striking appeared in his 
early history. He was mild, thoughtful, affectionate, 
and obedient, and was tenderly beloved as a dutiful 
son and an affectionate brother. At home and at 
school he was silent and thoughtful, and but little 
troublesome, and very early in life exhibited a char- 
acter of marked conscientiousness. His mind seemed 
naturally to turn to the subject of religion, and his 
conversation, his conscientious and serious deport- 
ment, led his pious mother to believe that he was 
converted very early in life. He himself dated his 
conversion in later years. 

His fondness for books and study was early appar- 
ent, and he received such education as the common 
schools of his native village afforded. Such was his 
rapid progress in the acquisition of knowledge, and 
such the early maturity of his character, that he 
commenced the business of teaching at the early 
age of seventeen, and at that time seems to have 
thought of nothing more as his life occupation than 
instructing a district school in the winter, and labor- 



KEV. SENECA CUMMINGS. 297 

ing on the farm of his parents in summer. An un- 
accountable weakness suddenly appearing in one of 
his arms, from which he never wholly recovered, 
rendered him incapable of heavy manual labor, and 
led to an entire change of pursuits. He now turned 
his thoughts to the avocation of teaching as his busi- 
ness for life. "With this view he determined to per- 
fect his education, and at the age of twenty entered 
the academy at Meriden, and pursued the usual 
studies preparatory for college. Here the Divine 
Spirit began to prepare him for his future work. 
During the first term his mind was powerfully exer- 
cised on the subject of experimental religion, and he 
gave his heart to God, and with it a consecration of 
himself to whatever work the Lord might assign him. 
Here he dates his conversion, and in the same year 
his name was entered on the records of the Presby- 
terian Church of his native village. 

In 1840, at the age of twenty- three, he entered 
Dartmouth College. Here he very early secured, 
and maintained throughout his collegiate course, a 
high standing both as a student and as a Christian, 
endearing himself especially to the pious inmates of 
the college, while his quiet, kindly deportment saved 
him all enemies. One who is himself now doing 
valiant service in the cause of religion, thus speaks 
of him at this period : " He was my most intimate 
and valued college friend, whose fellowship consti- 
tutes the most precious chapter in the history of that 



298 THE MISSION CEMETERY. 

period of my life. His deep sincerity, his sterling 
honesty of character, his modesty, which concealed 
his real worth from all but intimate friends, his sym- 
pathy with all goodness, his energy and practical 
wisdom, all tended to inscribe his name first in the 
list of my cherished associates." In 1844 he grad- 
uated with honor, being "one of the first three" in 
his class. 

At this time the trustees of Keene Academy ap- 
plied to the faculty of Dartmouth College for a suit- 
able man to act as principal of their institution. 
Mr. Cummings, having yet no other object in view 
than the life of .a teacher, was recommended to the 
trustees, and he went immediately from college to 
Keene, and entered, as he thought, on his life-work 
as a teacher. His " life-work," however, lasted only 
a year, during which God taught him that he had 
chosen him for a different work. He became con- 
vinced that it was his duty to preach the Gospel, 
and along with this conviction he found his mind 
also drawn toward the missionary field. His im- 
pressions of duty with reference to a missionary 
career were at this time vague, but his convictions 
of duty to enter the Gospel ministry were so clear, 
that he at once tendered his resignation as principal 
of the academy, and turned his attention to a theo- 
logical education. Though at Keene but a single 
year, Mr. Cummings left the impression of his re- 
ligious character, and the memory of his worth in 



KEV. SENECA CUMMINGS. 299 

that community. The trustees of the academy parted 
with him with regret, but could offer no objections, 
as they, like himself, were convinced of his heavenly 
calling; and the religious community, to which he 
had already endeared himself, felt they were sus- 
taining a great loss. His memory was cherished 
with respect and affection by those who had been 
his pupils, who, after his determination to become 
a missionary, organized the " Boys' Missionary Soci- 
ety of Keene," and sent to him their contributions, 
to be employed for the children of China. 

While at Keene Mr. Cummings lost his mother, 
and, judging from the tone of his letters at this time, 
we think it is clear that the Divine Spirit used this 
afflictive event to lead him to a deeper religious ex- 
perience, and to awaken him to a consciousness of 
his higher duty. He ardently loved his mother, and 
cherished for her the tenderest memory, until his 
own death brought him, we doubt not, to a blissful 
reunion with her in the spirit-world. Ever ardently 
desirous that all the members of his family should 
be brought to an experimental knowledge of the 
Redeemer, we find him using the melancholy event, 
in letters to his brothers and sisters, as a touching 
occasion to urge them to give themselves to the 
Lord. "I have been thinking," he writes to the 
bereaved household, "that her death has not come 
on her own account and eternal interests alone, but 
that it was designed for some good to us all. And 



300 THE MISSION CEMETERY. 

it seems to me that we shall do ourselves, our souls, 
and our Maker and gracious Redeemer, great wrong, 
if we do not study to find out what is intended to be 
taught b j this affliction, and lay it to heart. What ! 
shall the Lord in infinite compassion lay his staff 
upon one member of the family, and the rest of us not 
consider that he is doing thus that those of us who 
are not prepared for such a visitation may, while the 
day of grace continues, make our peace with him ? 
Without doubt he is by his providence in this in- 
stance reminding us of our mortality ; that we have 
not here our final home. How desirable, then, that 
we should, while the Saviour is now warning and 
inviting us to flee to him, enter the ark of safety and 
live in constant preparation for eternity." Such af- 
fectionate appeals and faithful admonitions, coming 
from a loving brother, and supported by his earnest 
prayers, have resulted in leading nearly all of these 
loved ones into that " ark of safety." 

From Keene Mr. Cummings went to Lane Semi- 
nary in the autumn of 1845, having fully made up 
his mind to devote himself to the work of the min- 
istry. In a letter to his father he thus speaks of this 
determination, and reveals to us the spirit in which 
he entered upon this work: "When I began this 
letter I was on board the steamboat. Now I am 
safely arrived at the seminary, the place of my des- 
tination for two years, probably, and years of solemn 
responsibility they will be no doubt. Only think ; I 



REV. SENECA CUMME5TGS. 301 

am here to prepare for the ministry, to become a 
soldier of Jesus Christ, to go forth in his name, and 
to preach his Gospel. When I think how unquali- 
fied I now am, and how much must be accomplished 
in the cultivation of my mind and heart before I 
shall be fitted for the work of the ministry, my spirit 
almost faints within me. Yet my trust is not in an 
arm of flesh. The Saviour of lost men is able to 
qualify me for the work he has for me to do, and in 
him is my only hope of success." 

At the seminary his piety still deepens and ex- 
pands, and manifests its increasing power in his let- 
ters to his friends and in his intercourse with those 
about him. As we read over these earnest letters of 
Mr. Cummings, and trace the evidences of his grow- 
ing and strengthening piety, we certainly are con- 
vinced that there is no necessity that the busy round 
of studies, and the careful mental cultivation of sem- 
inary life, should chill the ardent piety, or arrest the 
deepening spiritual experience, of a soul preparing 
for the sacred ministry. 

In 1846 he was licensed at the seminary as a min- 
ister of the Gospel, and then gave himself wholly to 
the Lord, to labor where he should appoint. His 
mind now begins to turn strongly toward the mis- 
sionary field. Again he writes, and submits this 
great subject to his father: "In deciding to become 
a minister of the Gospel, I of course expected to 
labor in the vineyard of the Saviour wherever he 



302 THE MISSION CEMETEEY. 

should appoint. I am his servant, nay, his instru- 
ment, and have no right to dictate to him about the 
place where he shall make use of me as such. But 
wherever he shall make the path of duty plain before 
me, there it is my duty to walk, rejoicing that I am 
counted worthy to enter his service at all. From the 
impressions which have borne heavily on my mind 
with reference to the foreign missionary field, I feel 
the time has come when I should decide this ques- 
tion. And do you ask, What is my present position 
in relation to becoming a foreign missionary ? My 
answer is decidedly in favor of entering that field of 
labor. I have examined the subject carefully and 
prayerfully, and am fully persuaded in my own mind 
that it is my duty, when my studies shall be com- 
pleted, to go and preach the Gospel to the heathen. 
Of course if you should convince me that it is not my 
duty to go, I should readily retreat from the position 
in which I now stand ; and above all, if Christ by his 
Spirit, or by the events of providence, should show 
me that it is my duty to remain in my native land, I 
shall most cheerfully do so. But as I now look at 
the subject, it seems to be my duty to go on a mis- 
sion. But before fully deciding the question, I wish 
to know the feelings and opinions of the various 
members of the family respecting it. Do not let 
this subject cause you undue anxiety, neither regard 
me as destitute of 'natural affection' for the family, 
nor as insensible to the endearments of home and my 



REV. SENECA CUMMINGS. 303 

native land. In all these respects strong cords must 
be sundered, should I go as a herald of the cross to 
the benighted heathen. I know, too, that it will 
also cost you a struggle to give me up, and my 
own heart will have to struggle to bid you and 
my friends adieu. I know, too, what intense feel- 
ing would swell a mother's bosom if she were here 
to be among the group at the parting scene. But 
I think that mother, as she looks down from the 
mansions of bliss, where she resides, as we trust, 
after having experienced the fullness of joy there is 
to be found in the immediate presence of Christ, will 
rejoice with joy unspeakable, and if her voice could 
be made audible to human ear, and her testimony 
would add at all to the authority of Christ's last com- 
mand, she would say, in tones not to be mistaken, 
1 Go ye into all the world, and preach the Gospel to 
every creature.' " 

"While the heart of Mr. Cummings was thus exer- 
cised on this great subject, and soon after he had 
thus written to his father, Dr. Scudder, the eminent 
missionary from India, visited the seminary, and 
with his " trumpet-toned" appeals urged the stu- 
dents to consider the claims of the foreign missionary 
enterprise. The conscientious mind of Mr. Cum- 
mings could not let an appeal like this pass without 
honestly and carefully examining it in its relations to 
his future duty. Some of the students, of more enthu- 
siastic temperament, seemed to resolve on the spot to 

19 



304 THE MISSION CEMETERY. 

devote themselves to the missionary work ; but when 
the stirring appeals of the great missionary died 
away, their missionary spirit expired with it. 'Not so 
in the case of Mr. Cummings. He was not of that 
cast of character which would lead him to rush im- 
petuously into any important undertaking, although, 
after he had determined his course, his energy and 
moral courage would cause him to persevere to the 
end. He said but little, and those about him scarcely 
suspected that he had been moved at all ; but the 
arguments and appeals of Dr. Scudder had sunk 
deeply into his heart, and laid hold on his sense of 
duty, and awakened a deep, earnest, and permanent 
inquiry. He carried this inquiry to the throne of 
grace. Said one, who was then his intimate friend : 
" Never shall I forget the impression my mind re- 
ceived when, on one occasion, having a pressing mo- 
tive to speak with him, I entered his room unnoticed, 
and found him too much absorbed in communion 
with God to admit of any interruption from man." 
Mr. Cummings settled this question on his knees, in 
the light of the cross and the judgment-seat, and un- 
der a deep sense of his responsibility to God. The 
decision reached in his own mind, he again addressed 
his father: "I must become a missionary. I have 
considered all. I know that it will be to bid adieu 
to you, my father, in the decline of life, and to my 
brothers and sisters, to my native country and all its 
attractions. I know, too, that trials, and conflicts, 



REV. SENECA CUMMINGfl. 305 

and deprivations lie before me. All these things I 
have considered and prayed over, and after all the 
deliberations I have given to the subject, it is still 
strongly impressed on my mind that it is my duty 
to go." 

At this seminary he remained but one year, and 
then, apparently on the solicitation or advice of his 
friends, who were still loth to part with him, he 
went to the West, with the view of first trying the 
home field. But the spirit of missions went with 
him, and he could no longer resist the voice of duty, 
or turn the tide of his earnest desires from the mis- 
sionary field. He returned from the West in a short 
time, and wrote to his father: "I have no desire to 
go to a foreign country to labor in preference to la- 
boring at home, if such were the will of Christ. I 
have been in the West this summer, and enjoyed 
laboring there very much. I think I should enjoy 
living there during my whole life. But this I am 
convinced is not the way of duty, and I feel every- 
thing must give place to this." 

In the autumn of 1846 he made an offer of himself 
to the American Board of Commissioners for Foreign 
Missions, to enter the foreign missionary service. 
"His preferences, as he stated them," says Dr. Ander- 
son, " were for China ; first, because he thought he 
could do more good there than elsewhere ; secondly, 
because the call from China had not been as readily 
and fully responded to as from other places ; and 



306 THE MISSION CEMETERY. 

thirdly, because he believed the climate of that coun- 
try to be adapted to his constitution. His consecra- 
tion to the work he declared to be for life ; and I 
am happy to bear witness that to the last — and I saw 
and consulted with him but a week before his death — 
I never doubted the reality and sincerity of that con- 
secration." 

His offer was accepted by the Board, and soon 
after he was designated, by the Prudential Commit- 
tee, for the mission at Fuh Chau, at which point the 
Reverends S. L. Johnson and L. B. Peet, who had 
already been laboring for some years among the 
Chinese at Bank ok, in Siam, had been directed by 
the Board to open a mission but a few months before. 
Mr. Cummings immediately entered Union Theologi- 
cal Seminary as a missionary candidate, and re- 
mained in the institution one year, completing his 
preparation for the great enterprise before him. His 
mind and heart were now full of the great work to 
which he had given himself. His consecration was 
complete, and he was happy. His life-purpose am- 
plified and filled his soul. His peace became like a 
river. Yet he was fully conscious of the vast respon- 
sibility he had assumed, and was deeply humbled 
under a sense of his unworthiness. " It does seem to 
me," he writes to his father, "as if no one ever entered 
on the missionary work so poorly qualified for it as I 
am. In looking into my own heart I can see nothing 
that can entitle me to the claims of a missionary 



EEV. SENECA CUMMINGS. 30 7 

character. Do you ask, ' Are you not then going to 
turn back V Why should I ? In turning from this I 
should turn from a good work, from the path of duty, 
from Christ, perhaps, and that, you know, would be 
worse than death. No, notwithstanding my un- 
worthiness, I cannot turn back. The course of duty, 
safety, and happiness for me is onward ; and thanks 
be to the great Head of the Church, that it is not my 
grace, but his, that is to qualify me to pursue it?" 

The extent to which the constraining love of Christ 
influenced this beloved brother to a full missionary 
consecration, is most beautifully and delicately indi- 
cated by a letter addressed from the seminary to his 
sister, who, with the rest of the household, was then 
engaged in preparing his outfit. We cannot withhold 
it. "I rejoice, my dear sister, that you have an op- 
portunity for doing something now, not merely for a 
brother, but for the dying heathen. You will not 
expect any reward from me for what you do, therefore 
I hope you will do nothing for me simply, but do all 
for Christ, and then you will have a rich reward. O 
that you knew how to do everything you do for the 
Saviour, so that you could feel that when you are 
laboring about the house you are laboring for Christ, 
and when you are making an outfit for a missionary, 
you might know that you are doing it not for him, or 
for a brother, but for the Lord Jesus. And to have 
this knowledge is a very easy thing. Christ can give 
it to us. If we only ask him to do it, he will ; there 



308 THE MISSION CEMETERY. 

is nothing that he desires so much as to give us 
that knowledge of himself which is life eternal. Do 
then let us go to him, and make him our teacher, our 
friend, our reward for all we do, and our eternal 
portion." 

During his stay at Union Theological Seminary he 
formed the acquaintance of Miss A. M. Stearns, 
daughter of Jesse and Lucinda Stearns, of New Ips- 
wich, N". H., a name well known and honorable in 
the Puritan history of New England. These pious 
parents have been honored of God in being permitted 
to send two children to China as wives of missiona- 
ries, one of whom, Mrs. L. S. Hartwell, is still living 
in Fuh Chau. We say, " permitted to send," for these 
estimable parents have learned that it is not only a 
duty, but a gracious privilege to consecrate their off- 
spring to this sacred enterprise. Would to God the 
Christian parents of our land were more fully con- 
vinced of this fact, and more thoroughly imbued with 
this spirit ! The acquaintance between Mr. C. and 
Miss Stearns was made on a missionary basis, and 
contemplated from its commencement a life and heart 
union for this great enterprise. Both hearts had been 
separately prepared for this work; providence clearly 
directed the way for their union, and never were two 
more congenial spirits blended in life, and harmon- 
ized in a noble enterprise. 

After leaving the seminary Mr. C. spent a few 
weeks at home, with the father and sisters to whom 



REV. SENECA CUMMINGS. 309 

he was affectionately attached, and from whom he 
expected soon to be separated for life. At length, on 
the 26th of October, 1847, he bade adieu to the home 
of his youth, and started for New Ipswich, the resi- 
dence of his intended bride. lie keenly felt the 
anguish of this parting scene. His aged father, un- 
willing to take the last farewell of his son in the 
presence of his other children, accompanied him a 
few miles on the way. It was an hour of deep emo- 
tion to this father ; his heart was still bleeding from 
the wound it had received in the loss of his wife but 
a few months before, the mother of this his youngest 
son, who was now to depart to climes so distant that 
he might not hope again to meet him in this world. 
At length they stopped on the road, by the woodside 
alone ; their hands were clasped together, their eyes 
met and filled with tears, but the deep feelings of their 
hearts forbade the utterance of words. They parted, 
the father turning his face toward his desolate home, 
resigning the son of his love into the hands of God, 
the son bowing to the will of the Lord, and subordi- 
nating all earthly love to the love of Christ. This is 
Chrsitian heroism, the true heroism of missions. 

On the 28th he was married in New Ipswich, and 
on the 1st of November he and his young bride bade 
adieu to their friends, and started for Philadelphia, 
the place of their embarkation. Here they arrived 
on the 4th of November, and met for the first time 
the fellow-missionaries who we're to accompany them 



310 THE MISSION CEMETERY. 

on their voyage. On the evening of the 5th a most 
impressive farewell meeting was held in behalf of 
these missionaries in the church of the venerable 
Albert Barnes, which was filled with a large sympa- 
thizing audience, w T hose tears and words avowed their 
interest in this noble enterprise. On the 11th they 
embarked on the ship Valparaiso. A precious com- 
pany was borne on that vessel. Kev. Dr. James and 
wife, under the auspices of the Southern Baptist Board 
of Missions, destined to reinforce their mission at 
Shanghai ; Miss Pohlman, the sister of Kev. William 
Pohlman, who was then laboring at Amoy ; Rev. C. 
C. Baldwin and wife, Rev. S. Cummings and wife, 
and Rev. W. L. Richards, constituting the reinforce- 
ment of the infant mission at Full Chau, under the 
care of the American Board. 

A touching history belongs to this little company. 
Dr. James and wife were destined never to reach 
their field of labor. The little company of the Val- 
paraiso had all safely reached Hong Kong, and there 
parted for their different fields of labor. Dr. James 
and lady determined to visit Canton while awaiting 
an opportunity to sail for Shanghai. This they did, 
and spent a few days at the great city of foreign trade ; 
but as they were returning on board the schooner 
Paradox, just after they had made sight of Hong 
Kong, a sudden squall struck the vessel and threw it 
on its beam ends, when she filled and immediately 
sank, bearing with her to a watery grave Dr. and 



11KV. SENECA CUMMINGS. 311 

Mrs. James, and five others belonging to the crew. 
Miss Pohlman safely reached her destination at Amoy, 
and was welcomed to the warm heart of her brother. 
Not long after her arrival, however, that brother 
made a tour along the coast of China for the benefit 
of his enfeebled health, and also for purposes of mis- 
sionary exploration. On this tour the vessel was 
attacked by pirates, and Mr. Pohlman never returned, 
being probably murdered or drowned. This blow fell 
heavily on his sister, and she never recovered from it. 
Her health failed, and reason itself began to totter, 
when she was accompanied to her native land by Rev. 
Mr. Talmage. Mr. Richards reached Fuh Chau, 
entered heartily into his missionary labor, but in a 
few years sank under failing health and started for 
America, but found a grave in the broad Atlantic. 
His memoir occupies a place in this work. Mr. 
Baldwin and wife still live, efficiently laboring in the 
Master's cause in Fuh Chau. Of Mr. Cumin ings the 
story is now being written. Such has been the fate 
of this little band of missionaries, who, in 1847, 
embarked with warm hearts and high hopes on board 
the Valparaiso. 

It is necessary to say but little of the voyage of 
these missionaries to China. The passage was a long 
one, presenting but few incidents of a novel or strik- 
ing character. Our missionary company was most 
pleasantly situated, and formed among themselves a 
band of congenial spirits, whose social intercourse, 



312 THE MISSION CEMETERY. 

frequent seasons of devotional exercises, and arrange- 
ments for intellectual and religions improvement, 
happily and profitably filled up the slowly moving 
weeks of their voyage. These months, spent on the 
ocean, proved of great spiritual advantage to the sub- 
ject of this sketch. Here he had ample opportuni- 
ties for those self-examinations, private meditations, 
and deep communings with God, in which he so 
much delighted ; and as we trace up his journal we 
discover an evident growing in grace and in the 
knowledge and love of God. 

On the 9th of March they reached Angier, a small 
settlement of Malays on the west coast of Java, look- 
ing out on the Straits of Sunda, which here separate 
for a distance of only a few miles the islands of Su- 
matra and Java. These native Malays supply the 
foreign ships as they pass through these narrow 
waters with fresh provisions, oranges, plantains, 
yams, cocoa-nuts, fowls, etc., and are often met in 
their little rowboats many miles out to sea, looking 
after approaching vessels, thus carrying on an enter- 
prising rivalry in trade. Here for the first time Mr. 
Cummings was brought in contact with heathens and 
heathenism, and judging from the records made in 
his journal, must have been deeply affected by the 
sight of these poor, half-naked, ignorant, and degraded 
Javanese. More than ever was he convinced of the 
magnitude and importance of the missionary enter- 
prise ; more fully was he satisfied that he had made 



BEV. SENECA CUMMINGS. 313 

no mistake in resolving to devote his life to this 
work ; and more fully than ever did he then conse- 
crate himself to the work of preaching the unsearch- 
able riches of Christ to the heathen. 

In a few days more they reached Hong Kong. An 
opportunity soon presented to embark again for Fuh 
Chan, and after another voyage of five hundred 
miles along the coast of China in a small Portuguese 
lorcha named the Eainha Dos Argos, they at length 
entered the mouth of the river Min, thirty miles from 
the city of their destination, at day-break on the 
morning of Sunday, the 7th of May, 1848. That 
was a Sabbath morning of thrilling emotions ! Their 
long voyage was about done. The God of missions 
had safely guided them through all their wanderings, 
and in a few hours the heathen city, as morally bar- 
ren and desolate as the bleak rock-hills of the coast 
they had passed, would open up before them. The 
wind and the tide still favored, and the lorcha glided 
up the river, conveying them through one of the most 
romantic and picturesque valleys their eyes had ever 
rested upon. At nine o'clock, with hearts full of 
thrilling emotion and overflowing with gratitude, 
they assembled in the cabin and engaged in a meeting 
of praise and prayer to express their thanksgivings 
to God for his constant and mericful protection, and 
to implore a baptism of the Divine Spirit to prepare 
them for their work. In a few hours the lorcha was 
anchored off the suburbs of the great city, and in a 



314 THE MISSION CEMETERY. 

little time they were cordially welcomed by Rev. 
Messrs. Johnson and Peet, who but a few months be- 
fore had arrived at Fuh Chau under the auspices of 
the American Board, Revs. M. C. White and J. D. 
Collins, who but a short time before had commenced 
laying the foundations of a mission under the direc- 
tion of the Methodist Episcopal Missionary Board, 
and Mrs. Peet and Mrs. White, the first two pioneer 
female missionaries in this new field. 

Nine years have passed away since the morning of 
that greeting, when these eleven missionaries met for 
the first time, and in the name of the Great Head of 
missions began to besiege the kingdom of darkness in 
this great heathen city. How many of them have 
already finished their course, fought their last battle, 
and gone to their reward ! Mrs. White and Mrs. Peet 
sleep in the cemetery of Fuh Chau, their silent tombs 
witnessing to the heathen multitude their love of 
Christ. Mr. Collins and Mr. Cummin gs have found 
graves in their native land, and Mr. Richards awaits 
in the ocean the resurrection of the just. 

Mr. Cummings's first impressions of Fuh Chau were 
very favorable. " To-day," he writes, after a visit to 
the British Consulate within the city walls, "I had 
for the first time a full view of the city in whose sub- 
urbs is now my home. And such a dense mass of 
buildings and tenements I never before witnessed. In 
the valley which they occupy, nothing else appears 
for two or three miles in every direction. So closely 



REV. SEXECA CUMMINGS. 315 

are the buildings compacted, and so nearly of the 
same form and height, that all seem as unbroken and 
monotonous as the sea. And to us foreigners, who 
have seen the endless bustle, and heard the low rolling 
thunder of cities in our far distant native land, while 
viewing this sea of roofs from the heights we occu- 
pied, the whole appeared as lifeless as a desert. E~ot 
an animal doing service to man was seen, not a sound 
of a carriage was heard. Yet, beneath the surface of 
this scene which our eyes rested upon, there live hun- 
dreds of thousands of immortal souls, without God 
and without hope in the world. If an ancient chief- 
tain, as he looked down from a lofty eminence upon 
the surrounding population, could weep over their 
destiny, is there not cause for deep emotion in the 
Christian's breast when beholding such a scene." 

In July he visited the Buddhist monastery on Ku- 
sang, a lofty eminence which lifts itself toward the 
clouds about six miles south-east of Fuh Chau, and 
from which may be had an extended view of the vast 
amphitheater in which lies the city. Here again he 
is led to give utterance to his convictions of the mag- 
nitude and importance of the work presented in this 
field. " After breakfast," he writes, " Brothers John- 
son and Baldwin and myself set off from the monas- 
tery for the summit of Kusang. Its isolated, tower- 
ing peak presented rather a forbidding appearance, as 
we began to wind our way in circuitous paths up its 
steep sides. "We frequently stopped to take rest, and 



316 THE MISSION CEMETERY. 

reached the top only at eleven o'clock. Here at first 
we sat down, throwing our shawls over our shoulders 
to recover from our fatigue. The breeze and pure 
air of this lofty height were most refreshing and in- 
vigorating. "We soon rose and began to survey the 
enchanting scene which lay stretched out before us. 
Toward the north scarce anything could be seen but 
mountain peaks, in almost endless numbers and vari- 
ety of forms, and presenting the most rugged appear- 
ance to the face of the country of anything I had 
ever seen. On the east a small portion of the ocean 
could be seen in the blue horizon, with islands inter- 
spersed here and there ; while on the south and west 
our position commanded a full view of the valley or 
vast basin in which the city of Fuh Chau and its 
suburbs are situated. This valley is formed by the 
river Min, which at the northwestern extremity 
divides into two branches. These sweep through the 
valley at a considerable distance from each other, 
from both of which a great number of creeks and 
small streams run out into the neighboring paddy 
fields, cutting them into geometrical figures of almost 
every form, presenting to the eye a delightfully pic- 
turesque prospect. On this valley stands the vast 
and densely populated city of Fuh Chau, with its 
dusky roofs so closely united as to present the ap- 
pearance of the shadow of a summer cloud resting on 
a vast field of grain. From the city in every direc- 
tion are villages to the number of a hundred, at 



REV. SENECA CUMMINGS. 317 

least, containing their hundreds and thousands of 
souls. 

" What a field for work lies before us ! How 
such a scene enlarges our views of the magnitude of 
the work to be accomplished in this part of the 
Lord's vineyard, and humbles our views of the 
ability of man to accomplish it. JSTone but God can 
perform it; none but he will receive the glory of 
executing it, however much man may aspire after it. 
O that we may descend from this mountain filled 
with the might of his Spirit, and carry on this work, 
for which his power alone is adequate !" 

Mr. Cummings was soon able to negotiate for a 
spot of ground on which to erect a house. He chose 
an elevated spot in the district of Tuai-liang, in the 
midst of a dense suburban population. At that 
time, and indeed until the present, the missionaries 
were unable to secure locations within the city walls, 
nor in their first movements was this very desirable. 
The vast suburbs, with their population of four or 
five hundred thousand souls, with the numerous 
suburban villages on which the eye could rest from 
every hill-top, presented a sufficiently ample field, 
and one more readily and promisingly accessible to 
the missionary. 

His house completed, he entered with character- 
istic energy into the work which was before him. 
The first great labor was to acquire the language 
which would admit him into intercourse with the 



318 THE MISSION CEMETERY. 

thousands around him. And what a labor ! Though 
some few of the dialects of China had been studied 
by previous missionaries, who had been able to fur- 
nish some useful books on the general features of the 
Chinese language, nothing had jet been done toward 
opening up the principles of the dialect of Fuh Chau. 
No teacher who understood anything of the English 
language, or who could utter an intelligible word to 
his pupil, could then be secured, and, indeed, none 
that had had any experience in imparting a knowl- 
edge of his own language to a foreigner. Yet this 
task was to be achieved, and Mr. Cummings entered 
upon it with patience and determined energy. A 
teacher that knew no English, and a pupil that could 
not utter a word of Chinese, were the only terms 
given in this problem ; the result to be reached was 
such a knowledge of the language of China as would 
enable him to preach the unsearchable riches of 
Christ in a vast heathen city. And yet the progress 
of the young missionary, whose heart was longing to 
reveal these words of life, was rapid and accurate, 
and in a few months he was able to pass among the 
people, dropping here and there a word of truth, and 
soothing the prejudices of the masses by a few words 
of kindness uttered in their own tongue. 

In the autumn of 1849 he secured a small chapel 
on the main street leading through the district in 
which he lived, and here began to talk of Jesus and 
the great salvation in the broken accents of his new 



REV. SENECA CUMMINGS. 319 

dialect ; and from tins point began to distribute, in 
the printed language of China, portions of Scripture 
and valuable tracts which had been prepared in the 
older fields. These productions were available in 
Fuh Chau; for though the spoken dialect differs 
widely from that of the other open ports of China, 
the written language is the same. 

For five years, with increasing fluency and grow- 
ing power, Mr. Cummings continued to preach in 
this little chapel on almost every day of the week. 
There was no- difficulty in securing at any time an 
audience sufficiently large to fill, and even crowd 
the room. As soon as the street doors were thrown 
open a motley group of men and children would turn 
into the chapel " to hear the foreigner talking books." 
Some with their burdens on their shoulders, some 
with their merchandise, and sometimes even the 
priest, and the idol-maker and vender, carrying his 
load of idols, would help to make up the strange 
congregations that filled the chapel. None but He 
whose sleepless eye watches over the interests of his 
cause, and who has said, " My word shall not return 
unto me void," can know the impressions made upon 
the thousands that visited this little chapel, or calcu- 
late the results which shall yet follow from the 
thousands of pages that went forth from that center, 
accompanied by the prayers, and watered with the 
tears of this man of God. 

But preaching constitutes only one part of a mis- 
20 



320 THE MISSION CEMETERY. 

sionary's labor. The true missionary has to be at 
once pupil and teacher, preacher, translator, author, 
publisher, and colporteur; and in all these depart- 
ments Mr. Cummings was a faithful and devoted 
missionary, and always found at his post. His visits 
through the suburbs and into the surrounding vil- 
lages were frequent, and during these visits he was 
often invited into the houses of the natives, when 
the Chinese sense of politeness always secured to 
him an opportunity of conversing and distributing 
tracts. 

Several hours were spent every day by the side of 
his native teacher, increasing his knowledge and 
perfecting his use of the language. A portion of 
every week was given to the reviewing of the new 
translation of the Scriptures, which was then going 
forward in Shanghai. A part of each day was occu- 
pied in rendering a portion of the Bible into the 
spoken dialect of Fuh Chau, a work of importance 
which had been entered upon by the several mis- 
sions at that city. A large portion of time was also 
given to superintending the printing of the books 
and tracts needed for the mission. Thus in labors 
abundant, in quiet, unostentatious toil, this devoted 
missionary and his fellows persevered in this pre- 
paratory work, successfully laying the foundations of 
the Eedeemer's kingdom in this heathen city. 

How it would have rejoiced his heart could he 
have been permitted to see immediate fruits follow- 



REV. SENECA CUMMINGS. 321 

ing his ardent labors. But for this both he and the 
Church had to wait. His only hope was in God ; 
his faith, in the power of the Gospel ; his consola- 
tion, in the consciousness of a faithful discharge of 
duty ; and his encouragement, the approbation of 
the Master. He heard of the first convert, the first 
admission to the Church, the first-fruits of the harvest 
which is yet to be, only a few days before his death, 
and almost the last utterances from his lips were ex- 
pressions of his joy over this intelligence. Like 
Simeon, he only saw the beginning of the salvation 
of God, and then died. 

One of the great trials of the Chinese missionary 
is that of wasting strength and failing health, under 
the exhausting influences of a foreign tropical cli- 
mate. Mr, Cummings and his family were not ex- 
empt from this. His own vigorous constitution began 
to sink under it, and during the last years of his mis- 
sionary life much of his labors were performed un- 
der the depressing influences of enfeebled health. 
His beloved companion especially suffered from these 
influences, and spent most of her life in China as a 
patient sufferer for Christ's sake, illustrating, as a 
light in a dark place, the power and beauty of our 
holy religion, as it sanctifies affliction and supports 
the soul under the trials of life. 

In October, 1850, God cheered their dwelling for 
a few weeks with a little bud from the "garden of the 
Lord ;" but soon recalled it to himself again, leaving 



322 THE MISSION CEMETEKY. 

their house desolate. Mr. Cummings, in speaking of 
these events, displays so much of those elements of 
his own character which endeared him so greatly to 
those who knew him, that we introduce the following 
from his journal : " I have just been called to pass 
through a season of severe trial and affliction. My 
dear partner has been brought to the border of the 
grave, but God in his infinite love and compassion 
has raised her up, that she may be spared to his serv- 
ant for a little season longer. O that we might both 
be deeply impressed with, the importance of devoting 
the span of life that remains to us to Christ, in a 
fuller sense than we have ever done ! But we are 
both mourners. A few days ago the gracious Lord 
recalled to himself a precious little daughter, which 
he had given us only a few weeks previously. On 
the morning of her death we had determined to dedi- 
cate her to God in baptism ; but the Lord, to whom 
outward rites are less acceptable than the offerings 
of the heart, waited not for our consecrating act. He 
took the little one to himself, and released us from 
the obligation of the vows we were about to make to 
him. At the time she died I was alone in prayer 
with reference to her baptism. I was pleading with 
a covenant-keeping God to bring us, the parents, into 
the bond of his covenant, and was pouring out my 
soul before him in behalf of the immortal spirit of 
the little one, who was apparently near her end. For 
this I have occasion to thank the Lord. He could 



REV. SENECA CUMMINGS. 323 

not have conferred a greater privilege on me than 
thus to permit me to accompany the departed spirit 
to the 'dark valley' with prayer. 

" In this event we feel deeply afflicted. Our hearts 
were already ardently attached to the little one, and 
our souls were deeply pierced by the arrows that 
removed her from us. Yet in respect to the dear im- 
mortal one, we are permitted to have many very 
comforting thoughts. We knew that it was the Lord 
that gave, and that it w r as the Lord that has taken 
away. How consoling the thought that it was He 
that took her away. Yes, he left it not to angels or 
men, principalities or powers, devils or an evil world, 
but he did it himself, and blessed be his name, for 
he doeth all things well. Our little one, too, is in 
heaven. She enjoys the everlasting embrace of Him 
who said : ' Suffer the little children to come unto 
me.' Yes, blessed Jesus, she has gone to thee, and we 
would not by our complaints bring her back from 
thine arms, where she is to receive thy blessing for- 
evermore. But O grant that the treasure we have 
now laid up with thee in heaven may often draw 
our hearts thither while we remain in this vale of 
tears !" 

His own health and that of his wife continuing to 
fail, in the spring of 1855 they were induced to make 
a voyage to Shanghai ; but finding no benefit from 
this they soon returned to Fuh Chau, and there em- 
barked in May for the United States, where they ar- 



324 THE MISSION CEMETERY. 

rived on the tenth of October, 1855. They immedi- 
ately found a welcome home at New Ipswich, in the 
bosom of that family from which Mrs. Cummings, a 
young and hopeful bride, had gone forth seven years 
before, consecrated to the work of missions. Nor had 
that consecration been revoked. It was still the 
earnest desire and prayer of both that they might 
speedily be restored to health, and be permitted to 
return again to the missionary work. 

During the winter of 1855 Mr. Cummings filled 
with great acceptance the pulpit of the Second 
Congregational Church at New Ipswich; but in the 
spring relinquished his charge, in hope of improving 
more rapidly if free from these cares. Still he con- 
tinued to preach in various places on almost every 
Sabbath, awakening wherever he went a deeper in- 
terest in the cause of missions. His last sermon, 
preached about two weeks before his death, was 
upon the combined texts Psalm xvii, 15, and Isaiah 
lxiii, 11 : "I shall be satisfied when I awake with thy 
likeness ;" " He shall see of the travail of his soul, 
and be satisfied." 

Early in August he visited Andover, with the view 
of attending the anniversaries of the Seminary. He 
appeared to be in his usual health, but spoke of a 
small pimple on the side of his nose which troubled 
him slightly. From Andover he went, on the seventh 
of August, to Boston, to confer with the missionary 
secretaries with reference to his return to Fuh Chan. 



REV. SENECA CUMMINGS. 325 

" How little did any of us then think," says Dr. An- 
derson, in his funeral sermon, " that his lease of life 
was so short, and that we should so soon and so sud- 
denly be summoned to his funeral solemnities. Just 
one week ago this day he was with us in Boston, full 
of hope and promise, looking forward to a speedy re- 
turn to China ; to-day he sleeps in death before us, 
his work all done, and his spirit gone to its reward. 
Surely God's thoughts and ways are higher than ours. 
There is deep mystery in such events. Our unbeliev- 
ing hearts are ready to say, "Why this waste ? But 
the all-wise Disposer of events has made no mistake. 
There is no waste. Though the mountain streams 
soon dry up and disappear from view, their waters, 
mingled with a thousand other streams, flow on in 
the mighty river, through valleys and fields, watering 
and fertilizing whole countries. Never did the pi- 
oneers of American foreign missions live more effect- 
ively than they do at this moment, though most of 
them left the world long since and early. Our de- 
parted brother performed the part of the great work 
assigned to him. He was among the pioneers in the 
vast Christian effort which, with God's blessing, is 
to evangelize the myriads of China, and his memory 
and his influence will never die. He did not regret 
his going thither, neither do we ; nor does he, we 
may be assured, now, while burning in raptures be- 
fore his divine Lord. 

^'When Mr. Cummings called at the Mission 



326 THE MISSION CEMETEEY. 

House on Thursday last, there were some who 
noticed what proved to be the commencement of 
his fatal disease. But he made no allusion to his 
own illness, and was as sweet-tempered, as cheerful, 
as hopeful as ever. The opening prospects of the 
Gospel in China, and his own return thither, were 
the topics of our conversation. Though I have 
loved and confided in him, in an unusual degree, 
from our first acquaintance, he never left so de- 
lightful an impression of his character as he did 
that day. His disease was alarming on Monday, 
and began visibly to affect the vital organs. His 
mind became confused and disordered. In the 
evening there was an affecting exhibition of the 
ruling passion strong in death. He fancied the Chi- 
nese once more before him, and in their native 
tongue renewed his proclamation of the Gospel, and 
his entreaties to them to lay hold on eternal life 
through the Lord Jesus. This done, he yielded to 
the overpowering disease, and spoke no more on 
earth. Next morning, at half-past seven, he gently 
went to his everlasting rest, at the age of thirty-nine. 
O brethren! let us rejoice that he lived, that he 
went on this mission, and that he has been faithful 
unto death; and let us pray that others may be 
raised up to take his place in this good work."* 

Thus, on the 12th of August, 1856, he slept 
in Jesus. His disease was malignant and rapid, 
* Funeral Sermon. 



KBV. SENECA CUMMINGS. 327 

early inducing a delirium which deprived his friends 
of that luxury of sorrow, the precious words which 
drop from the lips of dying loved ones. But he has 
left to them and to the Church what is far better, a 
character pure and unspotted, an example of deep 
and earnest piety, and a life of devotion to the cause 
of the Redeemer. From such we do not need, how- 
ever beautiful and precious, the mere testimony of 
a dying hour; their life testifies to their Christian 
character, and points unerringly to the Christian's 
home. 

The character of Mr. Cummings was one of great 
beauty and worth. The writer knew and loved him 
well. We met first on missionary ground in the 
City of Fuh Chau, in 1851, and immediately began 
a friendship the memory of which will continue 
precious through life. He was a man to love, not 
simply a character to admire. His talents and schol- 
arly attainments very soon won the respect of all 
about him, but his genial and sympathizing Chris- 
tian and social qualities equally soon won the heart. 
It was my privilege to know him under circumstances 
calculated above all others fully to develop to his 
associates his character in all its aspects. But few 
have stood the severe tests to which he was subjected 
better than he, and shone more brightly as a Chris- 
tian missionary. His piety, the broad foundation on 
which was developed his missionary character, was 
deep, warm, uniform, and consistent. Its chief ele- 



328 THE MISSION" CEMETERY. 

ment was ardent love to Christ and his cause ; a love 
which not only constrained him to labors abundant, 
but which also sustained him joyfully through years 
of self-denial. He possessed an unusual measure of 
that meekness and quietness of spirit which in the 
sight of God, and of good men too, is of great price. 
His deportment everywhere and always was charac- 
terized by a gentleness and humility which endeared 
him to all. A happy balancing of the intellectual 
and emotional, of the Christian and social elements 
of his nature, gave great symmetry to his whole char- 
acter, constituting him an efficient missionary, a val- 
uable friend, an excellent co-laborer, and a genial 
companion. The news of his sudden death fell as a 
heavy stroke on the little circle of associates he had 
left behind in China. " O what a stroke has fallen 
on us !" exclaims Mr. Baldwin, " and how heavy to 
this mission the loss of that strong heart of faith 
which resolved to live and die for Fuh Chau. And 
yet his love for the work, his faith, his patience, his 
prayers, and his deep sympathy for us, lead us to 
take courage and go forward." 

Mr. Cummings was a singularly quiet and thought- 
ful man, not given to melancholy, but prone to look 
at the reality and foundation of things. He spoke 
only when he had something to say, even in the most 
unrestrained intercourse. The streams that filled the 
channels of his purposes seemed to come from far, 
as though they issued from distant sources, or came 



REV. SEMCA CUMMINGS. 329 

slowly, welling up from the depths of his soul ; but 
when they poured their successive tributes into the 
main current, it rose and he was borne along with a 
resistless force. There was thoroughness in all he 
did. Whatever subject was in hand, he was dis- 
posed to search its depths and to run out all its 
ramifications. He was a man of sound learning, 
and had added to this the habit of incessant, patient, 
deep reflection. These traits of character were pe- 
culiarly calculated to make him a man of profound 
religious experience. And such he was. But few 
reach the extent of personal consecration and de- 
votedness attained by this earnest missionary. When 
he took Christ for his Saviour he took him also for 
his Lord and king, and was ready to count all things 
loss if he might but win Christ and be found in him. 
He knew in whom he believed. There was nothing 
fickle, nothing uncertain about his religion, nor, in- 
deed, about any other element of his character. He 
read the Bible as the book of God, and received it as 
the rule of his faith and his practice. He thought 
for himself, but submitted himself to God and prayed 
like a little child. Well educated, deeply pious, fully 
consecrated to God, patient, judicious, full of faith in 
Christ and in the power of the Gospel, he possessed 
all the elements of an efficient missionary. 

When Mr. Cummings entered the missionary work 
at Fuh Chan, it was only the time of preparation, 
and his labor was destined to be that of a pioneer, to 



330 THE MISSION CEMETERY. 

meet, and overcome, and prepare for future victories 
a new field. The first Gospel sounds that ever broke 
on the ears of that people had been uttered in this 
city but a little while before his arrival. Of course 
the forest had to be cleared, the ground broken, and 
the seed sown before there could be a harvest. But 
few are able to appreciate the numerous and grave 
difficulties that meet the pioneer missionary in a 
heathen land. Vast multitudes are before him, but 
they are multitudes in total ignorance of the Gospel, 
submerged in idolatry, full of superstition, moved by 
prejudice, suspicion, and even hatred toward the 
intruding foreigner who has come among them, and 
wholly shut out from intercourse with him by the 
barrier of an unknown language. The missionary 
enters among them ; he is speechless, through igno- 
rance of their language ; he is homeless and house- 
less, until, after many weeks of delay, he is able to 
secure some rude building as a temporary shelter, 
until he can soften the prejudices and remove the 
fears of the people so far as to be permitted to build 
a home among them; he meets a new climate, new 
scenes, new modes of life, new articles of food. The 
acquisition of a new language wholly differing from 
his own, and from every other about which he knows 
anything, is the first task that lies before him ; yet 
for this great work he has no books, no helps, no one 
to tell him where to begin or how to proceed, no 
teacher speaking his language, or from whom he can 



REV. SENECA CUMMINGS. 331 

receive instruction except through signs and motions. 
Still the friends of missions at home often impatiently 
ask, " Why are not the fruits of missions more imme- 
diate and rapid ?" and too often think the missionary 
is doing but little and accomplishing but little, be- 
cause the visible harvest is not immediate. Could 
these friends look down for a while upon the pioneer 
missionary, see his toils, contemplate the obstacles 
that everywhere meet him, and survey the ground 
on which he has to labor, they would be able to ap- 
preciate the toils of these men and women ; they 
would no longer misunderstand the long years of 
preparatory work required, nor wonder that so many 
noble spirits are blighted, so many hearts withered, 
and so many precious lives exhausted, in preparing 
these fields for the harvests of the future. 

Upon such a field Mr. Cummings entered, and for 
such a work he was eminently qualified. With a 
strong and well-disciplined mind, devoutly pious, pa- 
tient and persevering, he was just the man to meet, 
contend with, and overcome these obstacles. From 
the very nature of the missionary field, and the sea- 
son at which he entered it, the missionary career of 
Mr. Cummings was destined not to be one of brilliant 
success, but of patient toil ; not a glorious ingathering 
of a golden harvest, which would command the ad- 
miration of the Church, but a life of quiet, unseen, 
but deep and permanent, preparation for future suc- 
cess. Into this work he entered with all his heart. 



332 THE MISSION CEMETEKY. 

He knew that he was not to have the eclat of success. 
To resign all hope of that, was only another of the 
self-denials of his pioneer work. He understood well 
that his life was to be one of silent labor, of unwit- 
nessed and unheralded self-denials, breaking up the 
fallow ground, sowing the seed of Gospel truth, soft- 
ening the prejudices of a superstitious people, laying 
deep and broad the foundations of a great work into 
which others were to enter in the future, facilita- 
ting the means of intercourse with the people, aiding 
to unlock and open up the sealed language for the 
easier and more rapid acquisition of others. For 
seven years he labored in this work, patiently meet- 
ing its difficulties and perseveringly prosecuting its 
toils ; and though we can throw around his name the 
interest of no thrilling incidents and startling adven- 
ture, nor gather for him the glory of brilliant achieve- 
ments, his life was one of eminent usefulness in the 
missionary field, a service for which the Church will 
hold his name in precious remembrance, a labor for 
which we believe he has already received the crown 
that fadeth not away, and the glory which comes 
from God. 



MRS. ELLEN C. COLDER. 

METHODIST EPISCOPAL MISSION, EUH CHAU. 



By Rev. I. W. WILEY, M. D., 

LATE MISSIONARY PHYSICIAN AT FUH CHAU. 




MRS. ELLEN C. COLDER. 



xn. €lkn C. Collar. 

METHODIST EPISCOPAL MISSION, FUH OHAU. 



After we had thought our task of gathering up the 
memoirs of the precious dead of Fuh Chau was 
finished, and were about committing our materials to 
the press, we were again called to take up our pen 
and record the death of this most estimable woman > 
who had been connected for more than three years 
with the Methodist Episcopal Mission at Fuh jQhau. 
Mrs. Colder died suddenly at Shippensburgj Penn- 
sylvania, on March 24, 1858. Not in the sunset of 
life, when lengthened shadows lie along the earth, 
but in the full glory of the meridian, the deceased 
passed from among us. Noiselessly and stealth- 
ily the spoiler intruded himself into the hallowed 
retreat of the family circle, casting there the shadow 
of gloom and sorrow, where a few days before a new 
life, added to the household, had made all sunshine 
and gladness. In an hour of comparative confidence, 
at least on the part of surrounding friends, death 
claimed her as his victim. All around had cherished 

cheering hopes of a speedy recovery, and yet, in a 

21 



338 THE MISSION CEMETERY. 

very few hours, while resting upon an easy chair, she 
calmly passed from their midst, as we have the full- 
est assurance, to that " land that has no need of the 
sun, for the Lord God is the light thereof." 

Ellen Cordelia Winebrenner was the eldest daugh- 
ter of Rev. John and Charlotte "Winebrenner, and 
was born in Harrisburgh, Pennsylvania, on the 16th 
of July, 1824. Her father, a man of much intellect, 
of strong character, and of deep and earnest piety, 
was the originator of a branch of the Church known 
among its adherents by the title of "The Church of 
God," but more familiarly spoken of under the name 
of its founder, as " The Winebrennerian Church." 
The Church organization originated by Mr. Wine- 
brenner is characterized by great simplicity in all its 
arrangements; by the absence of any formal creed, 
the Bible alone being their text-book and rule of faith ; 
and by a supposed near approximation to the customs 
and usages of primitive Christianity. The principles 
on which its pious and learned author proceeded in 
organizing the Church seem to have been : 1st. To use 
the word of God in its most obvious, and, wherever pos- 
sible, its most literal construction, as the rule of faith 
and practice ; 2d. To adopt, as nearly as possible, the 
exact forms and usages of primitive Christianity; 3d. 
In church government to combine as far as possible, 
the advantages of Methodistic itinerancy with presby- 
terial administration. It is still a flourishing and val- 
uable branch of the Redeemer's Church, having a 



MRS. ELLEN C. COLDER. 339 

numerous membership throughout Pennsylvania, 
Ohio, and many of the western and southwestern 
states, its itinerants and missionaries perseveringly 
following up the tide of emigration to our vast wes- 
tern territories. 

Mr. Winebrenner still lives, now much advanced 
in age, and honored and venerated throughout the 
Church. At an early age, however, the subject of 
our sketch lost her mother, a woman of most exem- 
plary piety, and a mother whose tenderness and faith- 
fulness inspired a deep and permanent love in the 
breasts of her children. Ellen was old enough to 
have received the deep impress of this noble mother's 
character, and one of the sweetest memories cherished 
by her through life was the image of this estimable 
mother. Her diary and letters abound in touching 
references to her ; she speaks of her as her guiding 
star, her guardian angel, her example and her moni- 
tor, pointing her to the way of life. 

Who can estimate the influence of the constant 
presence of this loving image, borne about with her 
in the memory of a deceased mother, sometimes look- 
ing upon her with the eye of love, chiding when 
wrong, seeming to approve when right, and always 
beckoning to a home in the skies, in forming and sus- 
taining the excellent and valuable character of this 
daughter? It is said of an English nobleman that he 
always kept the portrait of his deceased mother hang- 
ing vailed in his study, declaring that he could do 



340 THE MISSION CEMETERY. 

nothing low, or mean, or wicked in the presence of 
that sainted memorial. How soon, how deep, and 
how enduring are these parental impressions daguer- 
reotyped on the soul of childhood ! How powerful are 
their influence for good through all subsequent life ! 
Who that has lost a parent has not read and felt the 
tenderness and power of the lines addressed by Cow- 
per, in his full manhood, to the portrait of his mother, 
who had died in his early childhood. There is a living 
chord set among the tenderest fibers of the human 
heart, and attuned of God to more responsively to a 
parent's love ; and after all, the best earthly gift from 
God to man, though it may last but for a short time, 
is the gift of a parent whose precious memory may 
shine as a lamp upon our path through life. 

Under the discipline of this pious household, dark- 
ened thus for a while by the removal of its sunshine 
to heaven, but afterward relighted by the presence of 
a second mother, whose excellence soon endeared her 
to the little circle, Ellen grew up in love with relig- 
ion. In early life she was the subject of Divine 
grace. Fully conscious of her estrangement from 
God, she betook herself to the fountain that cleanses 
from all sin, and there found peace and fellowship 
with God through a humble confidence of her gra- 
cious acceptance in Christ Jesus. 

About the commencement of the year 1843, when 
nineteen years of age, she fully consecrated herself 
to the service of her Divine Eedeemer, and con- 



MRS. ELLEN C. COLDER. 341 

nected herself with her father's Church. The rite 
of baptism being administered in this branch of the 
Church by immersion, she, with many other happy 
converts, was buried in the beautiful waters of the 
Susquehanna in holy baptism. From that time for- 
ward she felt that she was not her own, but the 
Lord's ; not only purchased by his precious blood, 
but given to him by her own act in a holy covenant 
for life. Her life was not only that of a firm and 
consistent Christian, but also of a useful laborer in 
the vineyard of the Lord. As far as opportunity 
offered, she was always found actively engaged in 
doing good. Her piety, however, though always 
active and most decided, was always unobtrusive. 
It shone brightly by way of example in her daily 
walk. She was conscientious to a fault. So much 
so was this the case that on all subjects of doubtful 
propriety, or so regarded among Christians, she uni- 
formly arrayed herself on the side of safety, and ad- 
hered to the plain teachings of God's word, lest haply 
she might be found fighting against God. At a very 
early age her mother solemnly dedicated her to the 
cause of missions, and from subsequent events it 
would appear the Lord mercifully accepted the 
offering. 

Soon after her conversion and connection with the 
Church, in May, 1843, she left home for Cedar Hill 
Female Seminary, near Mount Joy, under the prin- 
cipalship of Kev. K Dodge. There she spent two 



342 THE MISSION CEMETEKY. 

years as a pupil, at the close of which she graduated 
with honor to herself and credit to the institution. 
As a teacher in the seminary she remained for three 
years more, exerting a healthful Christian influence 
on all that were brought within the circle of her 
influence, and leaving behind her a name which, 
though ten years have passed away, is yet cherished 
in grateful remembrance in the seminary, and by 
many of its daughters, who have gone forth to 
mingle with the duties and responsibilities of the 
world. 

The following estimate of her character and labors 
while at Cedar Hill, we take from the pen of Mr. 
Dodge, the principal of the seminary : 

" So favorably were her attainments regarded, and 
so general the esteem in which she was held both by 
pupils and instructors, that she received immediately 
after her graduation an invitation to fill a vacancy 
in the teaching department in the seminary. She 
entered on the duties of a teacher May 5, 1845, and 
continued in discharge of them to especial satisfac- 
tion till October, 1848. She then resigned a charge 
which for more than three years she had most 
worthily sustained. 

" The subject of this memoir, while at Cedar Hill, 
was not so much marked for strong and prominent 
features of character as for a striking completeness, in 
which the most acceptable outlines of female char- 
acter were definitely presented and carefully filled 



MRS. ELLEN C. COLDER. 343 

up, furnishing a picture fitter for study than exhi- 
bition. Faithful in the discharge of class duties, 
engaging a deep interest in the minds of her pupils, 
and exercising a constant and salutary influence over 
them, she never found the result of her labors to fall 
below expectation; while her personal example in 
everything commendable was eminently conducive 
to their improvement — an improvement not measured 
more by progression in class studies than advance- 
ment in social and moral excellence. 

"Cheerful in temper, and gifted in conversational 
power, yet chastened to its most unobtrusive form, 
she was the especial charm of the domestic and 
social circle in which she moved. Unaffected 
candor and unwearied kindness, a tender interest 
in those around her, and a hand ever ready to render 
prompt assistance, may afford some idea of what 
Miss Winebrenner was while at Cedar Hill. Earnest 
in heart and manner, she made friends everywhere, 
and best friends where most intimately known. The 
mention of her name in the Cedar Hill family calls 
up tokens of her goodness of heart and hand in ever- 
freshening forms, though ten years have passed away 
since her sojourn with us. And amid these endeared 
reminiscences we can recall no instance of unkind 
temper, word, or action to alloy the satisfaction we 
feel, or mar the picture memory loves to trace of one 
who ' though dead, yet speaketh.' " 

Conscientiousness was a prominent trait in the 



344 THE MISSION CEMETERY. 

character of Miss Winebrenner, which manifested 
itself in the faithful discharge of all her duties, and 
in a rigid observance of all the requirements of the 
word of God. During her residence at the seminary 
she kept a Sabbath diary, in which she recorded, 
with interesting minuteness and faithfulness, the man- 
ner of her observance of each returning Sabbath and 
a review of the preceding week, through which we 
can easily trace the growing and strengthening of her 
Christian character and experience. 

A few extracts from this diary will enrich our 
pages, and open to us the heart of this young Chris- 
tian : 

"Sabbath, January 23, 1848. — This morning it was 
late when I awoke, and I had but time to get ready 
for morning worship. [I do not feel that it is right 
to indulge in sleep on the Sabbath, therefore my 
conscience troubled me.] After breakfast I retired 
to private prayer, when I implored Divine assistance 
for the duties of the day. I had not time to read 
any in my Bible before it was time to prepare for 
church. The sun shone in his brilliancy, and shed 
such a warm and inspiring influence around us that 
I could almost fancy it was a Sabbath in April. I 
asked Miss H. to accompany me, and we went to the 
Bethel, where we found Mr. M. occupying the pul- 
pit. I was much pleased, as he was so nearly con- 
nected with my dear native place. His text was 
Psalm cxix, 97 : ' O how I love thy law ! it is my 



MRS. ELLEN C. COLDER. 345 

meditation all the day.' He had commenced his 
agency to distribute the Bible, the blessed book of 
God, in every family in our county. May the Lord 
prosper this noble work ! He took the above pas- 
sage in order to open his way in our village. I 
think I never heard Brother M. preach a more (shall 
I say) beautiful sermon. He truly presented the 
blessed law of our heavenly Father in a very attract- 
ive and lovely light ; compared it with other laws, 
and referred to the experience of all good men, 
lovers of this law. How much better it is than all 
worldly rule or government, and what happiness and 
enjoyment here and hereafter is the result of cherish- 
ing and obeying this perfect law. I breathed a 
prayer that I might love it more and more ; that 
the gracious Lawgiver would enlighten my under- 
standing, that I might read to edification; that it 
might be a light to my path, my heart's treas- 
ure, my guide, my counselor by day and by 
night." 

"Before supper I retired for prayer, asking my 
dear Kedeemer not to leave me to myself, but still 
to lead, direct, and comfort me. After tea, the 
sun was fast departing behind the hills, and I 
could not spend my time better than to be alone 
in my own room, and think over my past and 
present life. I allowed my thoughts to wander 
back to my early childhood, when I was a happy 
child. 



346 THE MISSION CEMETEEY. 

' Free from all cares ; 

Led by a mother's kind counsels, 

A mother's fond prayers ;' 

and as the loveliness and beauty of the sun's last 
rays were fading out of sight, I compared it with my 
onward march with time, when I was left in gloom, 
when the guiding sun of my infancy had set at noon- 
day, and I was left to wander in forbidden paths. 
But I looked from nature up to nature's God, and 
from the gloomy earth to the brighter heaven, whith- 
er my heart's dear treasure had gone to rest from my 
earthly gaze, and light broke upon my mind, and I 
was led to exclaim, ' Have I indeed been left alone 
in darkness and night?' I wept tears of joy, for I 
remembered that the Sun of Righteousness had been 
my deliverer, and had led me in paths I had not 
seen, and in the way I knew not. I prayed again 
for pardon for the many unworthy returns I had 
given him for his care and watchfulness over a poor 
erring lamb of his fold, and as I had come to feed 
under his tender care, I craved his blessing. I felt 
assured that He who had been so good and merciful 
in the past would care for my future — make me use- 
ful while on earth, and happy with the loved ones 
around his throne." 

" When I arose this morning I raised my heart in 
prayer; but O how hard my heart appeared, and 
every word how cold. I thought over the past week, 
and I found I had lived at too great a distance from 



MRS. ELLEX C. COLDER. 347 

my dear Redeemer. When I thought over the many 
instances of his goodness and mercy to me, shame and 
confusion of face overwhelmed me when I remem- 
bered my forgetfulness of him. How truly has the 
loving Apostle John described this phase of our ex- 
perience : ' Brethren, if our hearts condemn us not, 
then have we confidence toward God. But if our 
hearts condemn us, God is greater than our hearts, 
and knoweth all things.' I besought his pardoning 
mercy, resting alone on his gracious promise : ' I will 
never leave thee, nor forsake thee.' I especially be- 
sought him to show me the path of truthfulness, vir- 
tue, peace, and love, and to incline my heart to walk 
steadfastly therein. The sky now wore a brighter 
face, the clouds of the morning were fast flitting be- 
hind the eastern hills, and so passed the clouds from 
my sky." 

" This Lord's day morning I hailed with thank- 
fulness of heart, having the assurance that the Lord 
has indeed been good to me, bestowing upon me 
every spiritual and temporal blessing, leading me 
above all things to love him, for which glory be 
unto his name ! O how much I want to love him 
with my whole heart! and with his assistance I will 
not get weary in well-doing. This again recalls to 
my mind the sweet dream I had during the past week. 
After I had been thinking how much concerned my 
dear mother was for the future welfare of her chil- 
dren, and how often she had prayed for its accom- 



348 THE MISSION CEMETERY. 

plishment, I fancied in my dream she came to me 
with her angel babe on her arm, and looked on me 
with so much pleasure and love, and said : ' Ellen, I 
hear that you are a good girl,' and kissed me, and 
passed away. O how this seemed to renew my 
efforts to become more approved in the sight of my 
dear Eedeemer! Ah! how bitterly does the truth 
come to my heart that I am not what I might be. 
How much of my precious time has gone to waste, 
how much of it is still given to folly ! But I remem- 
ber the pardoning blood of Jesus of Nazareth. I 
trust old things are being done away, and all things 
are becoming new. 

' Hail ! Sabbath morn, 
The best of all the seven ; 
Which claims my better thoughts, 
And bears them up to heaven.' " 

" The year is ending, and with it I must finish my 
record of its Sabbaths. How imperfect when com- 
pared with the record that has been kept on high ! 
Lord, help me on this last Sabbath of the year to re- 
new my broken promises to thee ; to live more 
watchfully and prayerfully, and to take heed to my 
ways that I sin not before thee. O assist me by thy 
grace to advance in holiness during the coming year 
more than I have yet done ! May I grow more into 
the likeness of thine image during the year 1850 
than I have in any year of my pilgrimage to my 



MES. ELLEN C. COLDER. 349 

heavenly home ! O may I during this year lay up 
more treasures in heaven than I have ever done be- 
fore ! Be thou my strength in weakness and I will 
serve thee." 

But we may not trespass further on these sacred 
privacies. These brief extracts are enough to enable 
us to catch a glance at the interior life of this young 
Christian, and to form an estimate of the material 
which God designed so soon to call into the mission- 
ary work. 

In the year 1850 her attention was directed to the 
cause of missions. This sacred cause had always 
been dear to her heart ; it had presented itself promi- 
nently among those strange experiences and apparent 
side issues which often gather round the conversion 
of the individual; but up to this time the subject of 
personal consecration to this work had not been urged 
upon her, nor had she as yet seen any indications of 
an opportunity actually to enter the work. At the 
time of her conversion, and when she gave herself to 
Christ and the Church, she was moved greatly by the 
spirit of entire consecration to the love and service of 
the Redeemer, and ever after lived in a state of readi- 
ness to obey the inward motions of his Spirit, or the 
outward leadings of his providence. Thus when the 
call to this work actually came she was found standing 
in readiness, prepared for this service in the depth and 
mellowness of her Christian experience, and emi- 
nently qualified by her attainments. 



350 THE MISSION CEMETERY. 

The call to this work came through the Rev. James 
Colder, a graduate of the "Wcsleyan University at 
Middletown, Connecticut, whose name had been pre- 
sented to the Missionary Board of the Methodist Epis- 
copal Church by the great and good Olin, who was 
then president of the University. Mr. Colder was 
chosen as a missionary for China, and was called from 
the itinerant work into which he had entered to pre- 
pare for this new field of labor. Mr. Colder was also 
a native of Harrisburg, the birthplace of Miss Wine- 
brenner. They had known each other through child- 
hood and youth, and now that he had entered into 
manhood, and was about stepping forth to take his 
place in the active duties of the world, with this new 
and trying vocation indicating to him what those 
duties were to be, his choice of a companion and as- 
sociate in these labors fell upon Miss Winebrenner, 
with whose maturity of character and available 
qualifications he was well acquainted. They were 
separated by Church relations, but were one in the 
spirit and experience of religion. 

How this new and sudden call to leave friends, 
home, and country for the trials and hardships of a 
missionary life among the heathen was received by 
her, may be gathered from the following extract from 
her letter, written in reply on this subject: "Let 
me say I have loved, and do now love the missionary 
cause; but the idea that I should be called upon to 
join in its labors was most foreign to my mind. I 



MRS. ELLEN C. COLDER. 351 

have often prayed to become useful in the world, and 
have envied those who are a blessing to others ; but 
my heart sinks within me in view of this responsible 
calling; I feel my incapability. I fear I have not 
sufficiently cultivated that devotion of life, that dedi- 
cation of myself to holier purposes, which would fit 
me to act my part well as a missionary helper, accept- 
able in the sight of God. 

" "When I was seeking religion this question pre- 
sented itself to my mind : "Whether I was willing to 
forsake everything, even to become a missionary for 
Christ's sake? It caused me a great struggle to feel 
willing. I admired the noble purpose that actuated 
others in their labors for the heathen ; yet I con- 
sidered them living martyrs, and thought I could not 
leave as they had done all the comforts and endear- 
ments of home to endure such trials and privations. 
But then I could not realize that it was the love of 
Christ that led them to make such sacrifices, and that 
the promised Comforter was with them, calling to 
their remembrance continually the precious promises 
in the word of God to those who are serving him 
through tribulation, even leading them to say, ' These 
are but light afflictions.' But now I have experi- 
enced this constraining love of Christ, and his grace, 
through which he can enable me to do all things. I 
desire only to do his will, and if this be the will of 
God, I am prepared to say, ' Here am I, Lord, send 



352 THE MISSION CEMETEKY. 

The more carefully and prayerfully she viewed this 
subject, the more powerfully she felt her heart drawn 
toward it, and the more clearly she saw in it the path 
of duty. Her decision was not a hasty one, nor made 
without much opposition. Her wide circle of friends 
were nearly all opposed to her going, many having 
but little confidence in foreign missions among the 
heathen, and feeling themselves called upon to use 
many arguments and influences to dissuade her 
from going. All these and kindred obstacles her 
faith and piety surmounted, and when she had once 
reached the conclusion to consecrate herself to this 
work, there was no looking back to reconsider, no 
misgivings, no shrinkings from duty. She entered 
upon the work with all its trials and hardships, its 
privations and disappointments, not only witli the 
spirit of meek submission, but even with cheerful 
happiness, under the pleasing assurance she was fol- 
lowing the leadings of the Divine Spirit, and the plain 
indications of God's providence. 

In the latter part of the year 1850 they were mar- 
ried, and immediately began the work of preparation 
for their voyage. On the 13th of March, 1851, they 
sailed in company with the writer and his family for 
Fuh Chan, where they arrived in good health and 
spirits on the 9th of July, after a voyage of nearly 
four months. It was at this time we first became in- 
timately acquainted with Mrs. Colder. "We had met 
her before in Harrisburg, and at once found in her a 



MRS. ELLEN C. COLDER. 353 

genial spirit and a noble character. There was much 
in Mrs. Colder to excite interest and admiration at 
once : a fine personal appearance, great self-possession 
and ease of manners, an address polite and kindly, 
and a voice of softness and gentleness that bespoke a 
heart full of kindness and sympathy. AVe loved her 
from the very beginning of our acquaintance. But 
the true worth of her character lay hidden in the 
depths of a tender and sympathizing nature, that 
needed time and opportunity for its manifestation. 
An ocean voyage of more than three months from 
New York to Hong Kong, a dangerous and most un- 
comfortable passage of five hundred miles along the 
Chinese coast in a Portuguese lorcha, and association 
of nearly three years in missionary life, gave us 
ample opportunity to discover the true excellence of 
this noble woman. In all these relations, as a fellow 
voyager on the ocean, as a missionary companion in 
a new and trying foreign field, as a wife and a 
mother, we found her the same quiet, patient, self-- 
sacrificing, and loving woman ; always a Christian in 
spirit and in life, always a lady in deportment. The 
more we knew her the more we saw her worth, and 
admired and loved her. 

In the missionary field among those who had pre- 
ceded us in this heathen city, and were longing for 
new faces and new friends, Mrs. Colder, as might be 
expected, soon became a universal favorite. Into her 

duties as a missionary wife and mother she entered 
22 



354 THE MISSION CEMETEEY. 

with a cheerful and earnest spirit, evidencing in all 
her movements her adaptation to the great work in 
which she so willingly engaged. She made com- 
mendable progress in the language, and soon made 
for herself many friends among the natives of Fuh 
Chau. None entered with a deeper sympathy into 
the unhappy condition and numerous wants of the 
perishing millions around her, and none ministered to 
those wants with a more bountiful hand. The na- 
tives employed about her household saw and appre- 
ciated this, and were drawn toward her in a deep and 
lasting interest and love. As a result of this we 
must perhaps attribute to her gentle Christian influ- 
ence, as we shall see hereafter, a large share of instru- 
mentality in the conversion of the first native of Fuh 
Chau, and in sending back from America to this 
heathen city the first converted native female. 

Her missionary career, however, was short and 
troubled. The mission was yet new. No home was 
in readiness for their reception, and the deep preju- 
dices of the people against the residence of foreign- 
ers and the building of foreign houses among them 
was not yet overcome ; and this opposition, seeming 
just then to reach its culmination, effectually pre-- 
vented the building of a house for the new mission- 
aries. Mr. Colder during all his stay in China found 
no home. For several months they occupied rooms 
in the house of Rev. Mr. Maclay and family. Dur- 
ing this time perplexing and fruitless negotiations 



MRS. ELLEN C. COLDER. 355 

were being carried on with the people and native 
officers for the privilege of erecting a house on a spot 
of ground in the vicinity of the other mission resi- 
dences. The ground was rented and a considerable 
advance paid on it, but the people refused its occu- 
pancy. Unfortunately the ruins of a small joss-house 
or temple stood on the premises, and this gave new 
strength to the opposition of the people, who looked 
upon it as an act of desecration to allow the shadow 
of a foreign house to fall upon the remnants of this 
abandoned place of worship. For more than a year 
these difficulties continued. The interposition of the 
native authorities was sought in vain. The acci- 
dental visitation of an American man-of war suc- 
ceeded in so far arousing the Chinese officials to a 
sense of the obligations of the treaty, as to secure 
from them an order to go on and build the house. 
This was attempted. A few laborers were put to 
work digging out the foundation, but in a little while 
an excited mob came rushing up from the suburbs 
and drove off the workmen. It w T as found to be in 
vain to make further attempts to occupy the ground. 
The Chinese officials ordered the original landlord to 
refund the money to the mission, and demand a re- 
turn of his lease. Thus ended the first year's efforts 
to secure a home for Mr. Colder. 

Under the pressure of an opposition equally violent, 
but prevented from direct interference by the sup- 
posed inviolability of the walls inclosing our premi- 



356 THE MISSION CEMETERY. 

ses, the house occupied by the writer was refitted and 
enlarged, and for some months Mr. Colder and his 
family shared a home with us. At length an oppor- 
tunity seemed to offer for building a house on the 
island of Tong Chin, and when all necessary arrange- 
ments were thought to have been made, Mr. Colder 
moved again into a part of the house occupied by 
Mr. Baldwin, of the American Board Mission, with 
the view of being nearer, and better able to superin- 
tend the building of his house. This was again de- 
feated after months of perplexing annoyance and de- 
lay. At length, after nearly two years of these dis- 
couraging struggles to find a home, Mr. White was 
called to leave the mission on account of the failing 
health of his wife, and Mr. Colder moved into his va- 
cated and half-finished house, in a remote position on 
the thoroughfare leading to the city. 

The spring of 1853 brought the excitements and 
dangers of the revolution. The various disappoint- 
ments and trials, the frequent removals and discom- 
forts arising from the want of a settled home, with 
the exhausting influences of the climate, had by this 
time begun to tell on the health of both Mr. and 
Mrs. Colder, especially on the latter. The first intel- 
ligence of the successful progress of the rebellion 
that reached Fuh Chau created great excitement 
among the natives. The disaffected grew boH in 
announcing their sympathy with the movement, and 
for many months an insurrection seemed to be immi- 



MRS. ELLEN C. COLDER. 35 7 

nent. The home of Mrs. Colder, widely separated 
from the other missionary families, and in the midst 
of a dense and excited population, was thought to be 
insecure, and this constant sense of danger, preying 
upon a system already unstrung, began to operate 
seriously on her health. It was determined that the 
families of Mr. Maclay and Mr. Colder should remove 
to Hong Kong, until the excitements and hazards of 
the revolution should pass over. Accordingly, in 
May, 1853, they embarked for Hong Kong. This 
was a trial for both Mr. and Mrs. Colder. She es- 
pecially felt that it was a final adieu to Fuh Chau, 
and it was a severe struggle between what seemed to 
be duty and necessity, and her love for the mission- 
ary work and the little band of missionary friends. 

She left us in a flood of tears. To most of the little 
missionary company it was an adieu for all time. In 
a little while one and then another passed away. 
She returned no more to Fuh Chau. In America 
she met again some two or three of her missionary 
companions, and now has gone to that land unseen, 
the home of the blessed, to meet a still larger num- 
ber. How much she felt this parting, and how ar- 
dently her heart clung to the missionary work, is evi- 
denced by the following letter, written immediately 
after reaching Hong Kong : 

" Dear Mes. W., — ¥e have had a short and sad 
passage from Fuh Chau to Hong Kong. I have felt 



358 THE MISSION CEMETERY. 

all the time as if I had been carrying Fuh Chan with 
me. No one knows how many tears, how many 
struggles it has cost me to leave our missionary work 
behind us. How strangely Providence has been 
working with us since we arrived at Fuh Chau ! 
How many difficulties, how many obstacles, how 
much opposition. It has seemed as if the poor de- 
luded natives were determined not to have us among 
them, and as if China had refused us a home. Is it 
not strange that we seem compelled to leave Fuh 
Chau at a time when our hearts are yearning to be 
there, and to do something for the perishing thou- 
sands of that great city ? But the ways of God are 
not our ways, nor his thoughts our thoughts. ... I have 
not ceased to think of you all since I bade you fare- 
well on the lorcha. The image of every precious one 
was that moment daguerrreotyped on my heart to 
last forever. O ! when will we meet again ? Will it 
be in Fuh Chau ? Will all these troubles pass away, 
and will we all reunite again in the work of our be- 
loved mission at Fuh Chau ? I fear not. I have 
strange misgivings that we will not all meet again, 
until we meet in the dear home above. . . . 

"We are making our home with Mr. Johnson. 
You knew him and his precious family. They are 
very kind to us. The Lord reward them for all their 
goodness!" 

We have spoken of the power of Mrs. Colder to 
gain the love and gratitude of the natives employed 




I 7 £ 7 jc h 



FIRST CONVERT OF FU1I CHAU. 



MBS. ELLEX C. COLDER. 361 

about her house. One of these, a bright, prom- 
ising young man named Ting-ing-kaw, volunteered 
to accompany thern to Hong Kong. They were in 
doubt as to the propriety of this ; but he urged his 
desires so strongly that they at last consented that he 
should go with them. He had already been deeply 
impressed with the religion of Jesus, first in the 
family of Mr. Baldwin, and afterward still more 
deeply in that of Mr. Colder. He had for months 
been a careful reader of all our Christian books, a 
constant attendant on the public worship, had aban- 
doned idolatry and begun a life of prayer. Soon 
after reaching Hong Kong, A-kou, as he is more fa- 
miliarly called, desired to be baptized and received 
into the Church. After this request Mr. Colder 
and Mr. Johnson, an excellent Baptist missionary 
at Hong Kong, with whom Mr. Colder was stay- 
ing while in Hong Kong, gave more particular 
attention and instruction to this young Chinese, and 
in the autumn of 1853, at his own urgent request, and 
with the approbation of the missionaries, Ting-ing- 
kaw was baptized and received into Christian fellow- 
ship — the first native of Fuh Ghau converted to 
Christianity. 

And now we have to record one of those strange 
providences which have not unfrequently occurred 
in the history of missions, and one of those strange 
workings of the pious mind which are hard to ac- 
count for. Mr. Colder had been gradually changing 



362 THE MISSION CEMETEEY. 

his views of Christian baptism and Church govern- 
ment, and during his stay in Hong Kong adopted the 
conclusion that the only proper mode of baptism is 
that of immersion, and rejected the episcopal form 
of Church government. Perhaps it would be possi- 
ble to trace the history of these changes, and to dis- 
cover the various influences which brought them 
about ; be this as it may, we cannot doubt the real- 
ity and the sincerity of this change of views, as these 
are fully evinced in his subsequent conduct. He felt 
that these conclusions made it necessary for him to 
change his Church relations. He withdrew from the 
mission with which he had been connected. He ig- 
nored his own baptism, which had been administered 
in infancy, and was again baptized by immersion in 
Hong Kong. Ting-ing-kaw, the son of his missionary 
labor, was also immersed, as this rite of the Church 
was not given him till after the change in Mr. Cold- 
er's views. Now, thinking he had no longer any 
claim on the Missionary Society that had sent him 
out, and finding it necessary to return to America, 
he paid his own passage home, and that of his family, 
at a cost of nearly fifteen hundred dollars. 

In December, 1853, they sailed from Hong Koug 
for America. Again A-kou presented his claims to 
accompany them home. They hesitated about this 
hazardous and costly experiment. A-kou was the 
eldest son of his parents ; their claims upon him, by 
Chinese law and custom, were absolute, and there 



MTCS. ELLEN C. COLDER. 363 

was no time to communicate with them at Fuh 
Chau. Still the young Christian pressed his desire 
to visit America, and to receive an education in this 
country. An arrangement was finally made by 
which Mr. Colder should pay the amount of his 
ordinary Chinese wages to his parents in Fuh Chau, 
and A-kou accompanied them to America. He re- 
mained in Mr. Colder's family for about two years, 
giving every evidence of the genuineness of his 
Christian character, and making rapid progress in 
the studies of an English education. He read well, 
could write a beautiful hand, could converse fluently 
in English, but was always puzzled with the subtle- 
ties of English grammar. During his sojourn in 
America the calls of his parents for his return were 
frequent and urgent, and it was thought best not to 
trespass too long on this Chinese law and custom. 
In April, 1856, A-kou embarked for home. He has 
maintained in Fuh Chau his Christian character, and is 
now connected with the Methodist Episcopal Mission. 
A few days after the death of Mrs. Colder the fol- 
lowing letter was received from A-kou : 

" Fuh Chau, China, December 2, 185V. 
" My dear Mr. Colder : I think you will think me 
very unkind for a long time, because I did not write 
any letters to you. I hope you will not mind it. I 
am very thankful to you for your great kindness in 
sending me a draft for twenty dollars. This money 



364 THE MISSION CEMETERY. 

still remains with Mr. H. I thought it not right for 
me to take it. 

"To-morrow I will send you two boxes. Please to 
receive them. These boxes contain a few little things, 
some for you, some for Mrs. Colder, and some for 
your boys also. 

" I am very anxious to write letters to you as often 
as I can, but I cannot do it, for I do not understand 
the English language very well, as you do, and it 
takes me a long time to write a letter. 

" I will marry a wife within two months. I will 
try to be married in the Christian's way. I did not 
see Cheung Chio's husband and children lately. I 
live with an Englishman who is a tea-taster in Fuh 
Chau. My wages are only eight dollars per month. 
I have lived with him about eight months. My work 
is to take care of his house. Every Sunday I go to 
Mr. Maclay's church, for it is very near the house 
where I live. 

"I cannot write any more. Sir, please give my 
love to all my friends in Hong Kong. On this letter 
1 write very badly, but I hope you will not mind it. 
Please write to me soon. Truly yours, 

TlNG-INGKKAU. 

This letter speaks well for the Christian integrity 
of A-kou. The draft for twenty dollars which he 
refers to was forwarded to him by a Sabbath school 
in Harrisburg, and as he thought it was sent under 



MRS. ELLE^" C. COLDER. 365 

the impression that he was engaged in missionary 
work, while at the time of writing he was in other 
business, he felt that he had no right to use the 
money of the school. Since writing the above letter 
he has been married to a companion long since se- 
lected for him by his parents, according to Chinese 
usage, whom he felt it his duty to marry in obedience 
to the desires of his parents. As we have said, he 
has since connected himself with the Methodist Epis- 
copal Mission, and is doing well in his course as a 
Christian. 

Cheung Chio, referred to in the above letter, is a 
Chinese female who occupied the place of nurse in 
Mr. Colder's family during their residence in Fuh 
Chau. In the latter part of 1855 she accompanied 
the family of Mr. Cummings to this country, and im- 
mediately sought and found a home in the family of 
Mr. Colder. She became deeply attached to Mrs. 
Colder, and desired to find even a permanent home 
in America. She refused to heed the frequent calls 
of her husband, living in Fuh Chau, to return home, 
and spent more than two years in the family of Mrs. 
Colder, among those from whom she had first heard 
words of kindness and lessons of religion. Great, 
indeed, is the power of kindness over these poor, 
neglected, unloved Chinese women, and welcome to 
them are the truths of that religion which speaks to 
them of their worth and immortality. Cheung Chio 
yielded her heart to the influence of these gracious 



366 THE MISSION CEMETEEY. 

truths, and turned to the blessed Saviour, the friend 
of humanity wherever it is found. During the two 
years of her sojourn in America she gave evidence 
of having found the Saviour, and of having entered 
into a Christian experience. At length she felt it 
her duty to return to her family in Fuh Chau, but 
her heart clung to her new friends in America. 
Early in February, 1858, she left them with a sor- 
rowful heart ; a few days after we saw her safely on 
a vessel floating down the bay of New York, des- 
tined for Fuh Chau, where she has probably arrived 
in safety. But little more than a month later, her 
beloved mistress and teacher, who had been instru- 
mental in leading her to the Kedeemer, and pointing 
her to things above, slept in death. 

It was not without a struggle that Mrs. Colder 
abandoned her labors in China, to accompany her 
husband in his return to America. She acquiesced 
in what clearly seemed to be duty. She had loved 
all that pertained to the missionary work ; and after 
her return she loved to commend it to all blessed 
with the light of truth, and labored to awaken a 
deeper interest for the perishing heathen among her 
friends and the churches at home. She continued to 
her latest hour a missionary at heart, and even will- 
ing to return to her former field of labor. Her chil- 
dren also, four lovely boys, were successively conse- 
crated to the missionary work ; and she loved often 
to speak to these little ones concerning missions, and 



MRS. ELLEN C. COLDER. 367 

strove to prepare them in mind and heart for the 
glorious cause to which she had set them apart. 

After the return of Mr. Colder from China, he con- 
nected himself with that branch of the Church which 
originated with Mr. Winebrenner, his wife's father. 
Perhaps we may see something of the designs of 
Providence in this movement. This flourishing, and 
in many places wealthy, branch of the Church, num- 
bering several thousands in the Central and Western 
States, had as yet taken no part in the great mission- 
ary work. Through the labors of Mr. Colder, and no 
less, perhaps, through those of his active, laborious 
wife, a missionary spirit was aroused throughout the 
Church ; a missionary society was organized, and it 
is intended soon to send laborers into the foreign 
field. 

Mr. Colder was settled as pastor of the Bethel at 
Harrisburg, his native place, and that also of Mrs. 
Colder. Here they remained three years, during 
which time Mrs. Colder, by her uniform attention to 
the duties of her position, by her kind, affable man- 
ner to all, by her benevolent and Christian spirit, and 
by her indomitable perseverance in the advancement 
of the cause and kingdom of Christ, not only en- 
deared herself more firmly to many old friends, but 
made many new ones, in all of whose hearts her 
memory lies embalmed, never to be obliterated. 

In October, 1857, Mr. Colder was called from the 
pastoral charge at Harrisburg to take the principal- 



368 THE MISSION CEMETERY. 

ship of the Shippensburg Collegiate Institute. Here 
Mrs. Colder was called to new duties and responsibil- 
ities ; but her active nature found happiness in abun- 
dant labors. With singular energy of character she 
met every duty of wife, mother, and superintendent 
of the school, prosecuting every interest to its proper 
completion. Here she spent the last few months of 
her active and useful life, laboring to promote the 
best interests of the school, the Church, and her 
family. Yet, in the midst of all these labors and 
interests, death came, casting the shadow of disap- 
pointment and mourning over the institute, the 
Church, and the family. 

In her last illness her friends and physician saw no 
occasion for alarm until within an hour of her death. 
It would seem, however, that she herself had some 
premonitions of her early departure, stating to her hus- 
band that she had been trying to rally, but found it all 
in vain, and felt assured she must die. She spoke of 
it, when those around would not tolerate the thought, 
with all the calmness of assured confidence. Yet her 
expressions failed to excite the fears of her attend- 
ants, in the absence of all symptoms of approaching 
death, and therefore, while she remained confident 
that she was about to die, not one of those who were 
around her anticipated a fatal termination of her 
sickness. 

In these her last hours her faith was exceedingly 
clear and steady, her prospects bright and glorious, 



MRS. ELLEN C. COLDER. 369 

and she expressed herself in the following triumphant 
language: "I have made my peace with God, and 
my assurance is bright, O so bright !" And why so 
confident? That Saviour she confessed, that Saviour 
she commended to others, was now with her to calm 
all fears, and smooth her passage to the grave. His 
precious promises, so rich and free, she now realized 
in all their fullness, and in raptures could exclaim, 
"For me to live is Christ, and to die is gain." That 
grace that had hitherto sustained her in the arduous 
conflicts of life, in perils by land and by sea, at home 
and abroad, was about to triumph in her last conflict 
with her great enemy. And grace did triumph. In 
speaking of her departure she remarked, " that angels 
were attending upon her." 

" Bright angels are from glory come, 
They're round my bed, they're in my room ; 
They wait to waft my spirit home, 
All is well, all is well." 

And is there anything unreasonable in this ? " Are 
they not all ministering spirits, sent forth to minister 
to them who are the heirs of salvation ?" And has 
not He promised to give his angels charge over them 
that know and love him ? Comforting thought ! 
Truly 

"The chamber where the good man meets his fate 

Is privileged beyond the common walks 

Of virtuous life, quite on the verge of heaven." 



370 THE MISSION CEMETERY. 

On the 24th of March, 1858, about two o'clock, 
while seated on an easy chair, she sweetly breathed 
her last on earth, and yielded her spirit into the hands 
of the blessed Redeemer. Thus in the midst of a life 
of usefulness died one of the most lovely of the daugh- 
ters of Israel. But our loss is her gain. " Many 
fall as sudden, few as safe." Rest thee,, thou dear 
departed, in the bosom of thy Eedeemer, until the 
the morning of the resurrection, when 

" In heaven we hope to meet thee, 
"Where no farewell tears are shed." 

We need add but little in delineation of the charac- 
ter of our dear friend ; we have endeavofed to present 
this in the body of the memoir. In her sphere of 
life, which was one of great activity and usefulness, 
Mrs. Colder singularly imbodied those rare qualities 
of mind and heart that fitted her so eminently for the 
various stations she was called upon to fill. To a 
mind well disciplined by study, she added the graces 
and charms which so much adorn the domestic circle. 
Possessing in a large degree a benevolent disposition, 
she was ever ready to meet the objects of affliction 
and charity, and to bestow upon them words of con- 
solation ; and as God had secured to her the means, 
it was her delight to administer the more material 
relief desired. Surely she was one who delighted in 
doing good. To the poor, the sick, and afflicted 
in her more immediate circle, she gave substantial 



MES. ELLEN C. COLDER. Si 1 

evidence of her love, and " wept with those who 
weep." She was meek and gentle in her spirit and 
temper ; and these characteristics shone in all their 
loveliness as the companion of a minister of Christ, 
and made her an object of admiration and love. 

As a Christian she was meek, humble, devoted, 
living constantly in a spirit of consecration to Christ, 
and conscientious in the discharge of every duty. In 
her journal she remarks : " I have found by past 
experience, that when I place my own concerns 
secondary to higher duties, God prospers them ; 
but as sure as I give them the first place they perplex 
me." As a teacher she always gained the love and 
obedience of her pupils, impressed upon them the 
best traits of her own character, and bound them to 
her in a lasting affection. Her sudden death drew 
the shadow of mourning and disappointment over the 
institute at Shippensburg. From a letter written by 
the pupils of this institution we extract the following : 
" In the death of Mrs. Colder God has taken to him- 
self one who was endeared to us by the tenderest 
ties, around whom clustered our fondest affections, to 
whom we looked with an eye of filial love, in whom 
we always found an earnest friend and a cordial and 
generous sympathy. We have sustained an irrepa- 
rable loss, and the institute has been deprived of 
the sunshine and brightness of that face whose 
encouraging smile always gave animation and im- 
pulse to our efforts, and the guidance of that ex- 

23 



372 THE MISSION CEMETERY. 

ample which always directed us in the path of duty 
and right." 

As a wife she was loving, sympathizing, and always 
and in all positions a helpmeet for her husband, ever 
ready to acquiesce in his plans and movements, and 
by her own activity always contributing to his use- 
fulness and success. Again from her journal we 
extract the following sentiment : " It is not degrading 
for a wife to submit to her husband. On the contrary, 
she never appears more lovely than when cheerfully 
and gracefully yielding up her own wishes that she 
may comply with his. Woman was not made to 
rule; and in my judgment the wife who attempts 
it, and the husband who submits to it, are equally 
contemptible." 

As a missionary she was consecrated and devotedly 
attached to her work. She left it with tears, longed 
for the opportunity to return to it, and earnestly 
commended the glorious cause to all about her. In 
her journal, written at Full Chau, we find the follow- 
ing : " Hitherto the Lord has led me* His ways have 
not been my ways, or I would this day be far from 
him. His Holy Spirit has kept me from falling from 
my first love; and this day, far from the loved ones in 
my native land, I rejoice I am among the heathen. 
With all its trials, with all disappointments and dis- 
couragements, I love the missionary work, nor for 
a moment have I regretted my consecration to it. O 
Lord, may our lives be spared for coming usefulness 



MRS. ELLEN C. COLDER. 373 

among the Chinese, and may my influence for good 
be felt by the dark minds around me." 

As a mother she was devotedly attached to her 
children, loving and faithful, self-sacrificing and con- 
stant in her attentions to them ; realizing all the re- 
sponsibilities of this sacred relation. Her children 
were consecrated to God, and set apart for the mis- 
sionary work. Even her babe, but ten days old, had 
been given to the Saviour for this holy work by his 
dying mother. We close our memoir of this excel- 
lent and exemplary woman with the following extract 
from an " Address to Mothers," read by Mrs. Colder 
at a meeting of the " Maternal Association " at Fuh. 
Chau: 

" Let us look upon our children as the gift of God, 
committed to our care by him to whom they belong, 
and from whom we are to receive our ' wages.' The 
care of children is indeed a labor, a labor attended 
with great responsibility, and giving us many anxious 
moments. But it is a work which has at every stage 
its full reward. He who has called us to so great a 
task has not failed to send us therewith great and 
varied blessings. In infancy, youth, and manhood's 
riper years, the Lord pays back into our bosoms with 
the increasing tide of love, wages which more than 
compensate for all our toil. 

"And there hastens on an hour in which these 
jewels committed to our care will be called that 
they may adorn the diadem of Christ. To secure 



374 THE MISSION CEMETEBY. 

their fitness for the duties of this life demands un- 
ceasing effort upon our part ; but O ! to make them 
worthy to shine upon the brow of Christ, ' Who is 
sufficient for these things?' Our calling as mothers 
is a high one; but He who has honored us in its be- 
stowment will not fail with every duty to grant 
sufficient grace. Will we not try so to nurse and 
train these ' olive branches ' springing up about our 
tables, that both they and we may bloom in the 
paradise of God ?" 



THE END. 



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It is, in fact, a digest of Methodism. The arrangement and execution of the 
several parts are admirable. The style is a model of perspicuity, ease, and vigor,- 
and in point of condensation, the volume is literally erowded with important 
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and all, to procure it immediately. No Methodist can study it without profit, 
and gratitude to the great Head of the Church for the wisdom imparted to those 
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tions under which the operations of this most successful"" branch of the Church 
are conducted. — Editor of the Christian Guardian, Toronto. 

It is precisely the volume needed to instruct our people in the peculiarities of 
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for reference on any given point. To the Methodist, especially the "official" 
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